Ensure Digital Equity and Internet Access through key investments and pilot programs. The ability to access the internet can be the difference between life and death, between surviving and thriving. Whether it’s finding the latest vaccines, locating rapidly changing public health guidelines, accessing employment, searching for resources for dealing with violence, participating in democracy, visiting long-distance loved ones, or attending classes via remote learning, many of our community members have been barred from accessing robust internet in their daily lives. These barriers are both physical (e.g., the wires that run into homes) as well as social and structural. This budget connects digital equity to Seattle’s social safety net. Key recommendations for expanding digital equity include:
Expanding access community’s access to to the high-speed fiber Internet
Training of community members to be liaisons (both digital navigators and digital stewards)
Delivering quality devices and technical support, and digital skills training
High-speed internet with accessible support