About the Massachusetts State Digital Equity Planning (SDEP)

Digital equity is a condition in which all individuals and communities have the information technology capacity needed for full participation in our society, democracy, and economy. Digital equity is necessary for civic and cultural participation, employment, lifelong learning, and access to essential services (National Digital Inclusion Alliance).

By making internet access, devices, and digital skills available to all, we can also address important issues like healthcare access, education, jobs, civic engagement, and social connection. To achieve digital equity, states and communities need funding and programs that provide affordable internet and devices, digital skills training, and widespread internet availability.

The State Digital Equity Planning Grant Program provides federal funding from the Infrastructure Investment and American Jobs Act (IIJA) for States, D.C., Territories and Tribal entities to develop a State Digital Equity Plan (SDEP). The plan will be completed and submitted to the U.S. Department of Commerce. The purpose of the SDEP is to create a roadmap and measurable targets towards achieving digital equity in Massachusetts, support digital inclusion work, and build capacity for existing and future efforts to advance digital equity within the Commonwealth. The Massachusetts Broadband Institute, with the support from HR&A Advisors, will oversee the planning process and develop the SDEP that will be submitted to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

The Digital Equity Act (DEA) lays out a framework for developing State Digital Equity Plans (SDEPs) across all U.S. states and territories, which can be viewed together as a new national baseline for internet access and digital inclusion. Before the DEA, there was no standard baseline or way to measure progress towards full digital equity. Through the SDEP process, state governments across the U.S. will create a national record of digital equity needs, barriers, and assets in collaboration with local communities. The Massachusetts SDEP process will create evidence and support for funding from the IIJA and a framework to measure impact.

MBI is also helping cities and towns in Massachusetts by offering a program that allows municipalities to work with expert consultants to create a local digital equity plan. All key findings, data, and recommendations from local plans will be integrated into the SDEP. The full cost of the consultant's services is covered by MBI. You can find more information on the municipal digital equity planning program here.

This work will be conducted in six phases:

Phase 1: Forming a Stakeholder Advisory Working Group: MBI has created a Working Group with individuals, organizations, and state agencies representing the Covered Populations and other important population groups in Massachusetts. The goals of the Working Group are to align statewide planning efforts, connect the planning process to the populations they represent, and help shape the Plan’s objectives. The group provides guidance and input on the Plan’s vision, strategy, timeline, and metrics.

Phase 2: Assessing Current Conditions: Based on publicly available administrative data on broadband and digital inclusion, as well as ongoing efforts around the state, MBI will establish and share a baseline of challenges that Massachusetts residents face in achieving digital equity, including the current state of access, affordability, and adoption of digital services.

Phase 3: Statewide Community Digital Needs Assessment: During this phase, MBI will hold discussions with organizations working with populations affected by digital inequities, hold regional listening sessions, and organize focus groups with covered populations, and distribute a statewide digital equity survey. All of these activities will allow MBI to build from the Existing Conditions baseline to develop an actionable, comprehensive view of digital equity needs and barriers across the state.

Phase 4: Developing a Unified Vision for Digital Equity: MBI and the Working Group will create a shared vision for digital equity in Massachusetts. This vision will guide the development of measurable objectives, including improving the availability and affordability of broadband service, enhancing accessibility and inclusivity of public resources and services, promoting digital literacy and personal cybersecurity, and ensuring access to consumer devices and technical support. MBI will describe how these objectives relate to economic development, workforce development, education, healthcare, and civic participation.

Phase 5: Creating an Implementation Plan: MBI will design a strategic action plan for digital equity initiatives that meets the needs of the Covered Populations and other important groups affected by the digital inequities across the state and the organizations serving them, aligned with a set of core Measurable Objectives to address needs and barriers and expand existing efforts.

Phase 6: Aligning and Coordinating Funding Sources: MBI will describe how the planned use of the State's Digital Equity Capacity grants aligns with existing or future funding sources. This includes additional federal funding, as well as the state's ARPA Digital Equity Programs and ARPA Capital Projects Funds.

MBI and HR&A are currently gathering and encouraging feedback from important stakeholders as they move forward with the six phases of the SDEP process. Here’s how you or your organization can get involved!

If you are an individual:

If you represent an organization interested in Digital Equity:

If you have any questions, please check the FAQ about the Public Survey and Asset Inventory Tool below. In the fall of 2023, there will also be a 30-day period for the public to provide comments on a draft version of the Statewide Digital Equity Plan (SDEP). This feedback will be used to finalize the SDEP before submitting it to NTIA.

After state plans are finalized, the NTIA will release capacity building grants for states, territories, and tribal governments and a competitive, annual grant program to fund the implementation of digital equity projects. Learn more about the federal digital equity act programs at Internet for All and other funding opportunities at NTIA.gov.

Josh Eichen
Program Manager, Partnerships
Massachusetts Broadband Institute
broadband@masstech.org

About the Massachusetts Public Survey

The Digital Equity Act (DEA) requires that digital equity planning efforts center the needs of those most impacted by digital inequity, a set of “Covered Populations” named in the statute (low-income households, seniors, individuals with disabilities, veterans, incarcerated individuals, members of racial and ethnic minority groups, those with language barriers and low levels of literacy, and rural inhabitants). Existing demographic data – as well as limited digital equity data – are available via the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS).

SDEP planning must build on ACS data to gather additional information, which can be analyzed by demographic variables, regarding needs and barriers to internet adoption and use. A representative survey based on population shares of each Covered Population can contribute valuable information about existing digital equity conditions across the Commonwealth.

The survey will be available in paper form for those who struggle with accessing and using the internet. Also, MBI will work with partners to hold focus groups and to create other in-person and virtual opportunities for most affected populations to share information about their lived experiences; the online survey is necessary to ensure a representative sample statewide.

This important survey will help inform the Commonwealth's investment of historic funding to provide improved connectivity for all Massachusetts residents, increasing access to education, healthcare, civic engagement, economic, and other opportunities. Specifically, this survey will generate an evidence-based understanding of the digital needs and barriers to adoption for Massachusetts residents, and in particular those most impacted by digital inequities, that will be incorporated into the Statewide Digital Equity Plan (SDEP).  The SDEP will provide a roadmap for the deployment of funds through the Digital Equity Capacity Building Grant Program.

MBI and HR&A will collect and analyze Public Survey results to develop the Needs Assessment, Asset Inventory, and gap analysis needed to set targets and milestones for the draft Statewide Digital Equity Plan (SDEP) that will be released for public comment in the fall of 2023. Additionally, pre-qualified consultants engaged in the Municipal Planning Program through MBI will receive data from the Public Survey for the municipality(s) they are engaged in, in order to support their municipal digital equity planning processes.