Exploring Digital Equity Fact Sheets

Expanding Internet access to everyone who wants it isn’t an infrastructure problem alone. Achieving equity for everyone in a community is a many-sided endeavor, and requires engaging and activating an array of stakeholders. Created with support from AARP and help from the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, ILSR’s Exploring Digital Equity Fact Sheet Series unpacks the issues, challenges, and opportunities today. 

	What Is Broadband? What Is Broadband? deals with the basics of Internet access, defining key terms, technologies, and use. It explores who uses the Internet, how, and why the way we define broadband has such an impact on the quality of connections available to households today. Download the fact sheet here.
	Broadband Access Challenges Broadband Access Challenges tackles infrastructure, affordability, and adoption issues. It addresses how mapping challenges have stymied funding programs, what has been done to lower monthly costs, and what is needed to improve adoption rates nationwide. Download the fact sheet here.
	Broadband Affordability Challenges Broadband Affordability Challenges explores the financial obstacles facing unconnected households. It reviews state and federal attempts to reduce those barriers with subsidies and the mandating of low-cost plans, and the models available today which can promote competition and lower prices. Download the fact sheet here.
	Broadband Availability Challenges Broadband Availability Challenges dives into why some households have access to the fastest Internet infrastructure while others languish on slower connections, and millions of households still lack basic connections at all. It also highlights community-driven efforts to improve local connectivity, and assesses the likely impact of an unprecedented level of federal investment in broadband funding for the future. Download the fact sheet here.
	Key Digital Skills for Broadband Key Digital Skills for Broadband examines the challenges in making sure that everyone who wants to take full advantage of everything the Internet has to offer has the skills to do so. It catalogs the high barriers to entry faced by New Americans, older adults, and other populations, and documents the host of national and local programs that are successfully breaking those barriers down. Download the fact sheet here.
	Expanding Device Availability for Broadband Expanding Device Availability for Broadband charts the connection between broadband adoption, access, and device use. It offers solutions for a myriad of local contexts, considers the advantages and disadvantages of different models for expanding device ownership and use, and profiles programs that stand able and willing to help communities meet their goals. Download the fact sheet here.