SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
EXPLORE +
  • About infoDOCKET
  • Academic Libraries on LJ
  • Research on LJ
  • News on LJ
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Libraries
    • Academic Libraries
    • Government Libraries
    • National Libraries
    • Public Libraries
  • Companies (Publishers/Vendors)
    • EBSCO
    • Elsevier
    • Ex Libris
    • Frontiers
    • Gale
    • PLOS
    • Scholastic
  • New Resources
    • Dashboards
    • Data Files
    • Digital Collections
    • Digital Preservation
    • Interactive Tools
    • Maps
    • Other
    • Podcasts
    • Productivity
  • New Research
    • Conference Presentations
    • Journal Articles
    • Lecture
    • New Issue
    • Reports
  • Topics
    • Archives & Special Collections
    • Associations & Organizations
    • Awards
    • Funding
    • Interviews
    • Jobs
    • Management & Leadership
    • News
    • Patrons & Users
    • Preservation
    • Profiles
    • Publishing
    • Roundup
    • Scholarly Communications
      • Open Access

June 10, 2021 by Gary Price

Senators Murray, Portman, and King Introduce Major Bipartisan Legislation to Close Digital Divide, Promote Digital Equity; Legislation Endorsed by ALA, ULC, and Others

June 10, 2021 by Gary Price

From Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA):

Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), and Senator Angus King (I-ME) introduced new bipartisan legislation aimed at closing the growing digital divide in communities across the country. The Digital Equity Act of 2021 would create new federal investments targeted toward a diverse array of projects at the state and local level that promote “digital equity”— a concept defined by the National Digital Inclusion Alliance as the, “condition in which all individuals and communities have the information technology capacity needed for full participation in our society, democracy and economy.”

[Clip]

According to 2019 U.S. Census data, 36 million households do not subscribe to a wireline broadband service—including 8.8% of Washington state households. 26 million of these households are in urban areas. 10 million are in rural areas. The lower a household’s income, the less likely they are to consistently subscribe to a wireline broadband service.

To that end, the Digital Equity Act of 2021 strengthens federal support for efforts to help ensure students, families, and workers have the information technology capacity needed to fully participate in society by establishing two grant programs to be administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to promote digital equity nationwide:

  • Building Capacity within States through Formula Grants: The legislation creates an annual $125 million formula grant program for all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico to fund the creation and implementation of comprehensive digital equity plans in each State.
  • Spurring Targeted Action through Competitive Grants: The legislation also creates an annual $125 million competitive grant program to support digital equity projects undertaken by individual groups, coalitions, and/or communities of interest.
  • Supporting Research and Evidence-Based Policymaking: The legislation tasks NTIA with evaluating digital inclusion projects and providing policymakers at the local, state, and federal levels with detailed information about which projects are most effective.

[Clip]

The Digital Equity Act of 2021 is endorsed by over 100 organizations, including: AARP, Alliance for Community Media, American Library Association, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, Broadband Connects America, Center for Law and Social Policy, Center for Media Justice, Chief Officers of State Library Agencies, Coalition on Adult Basic Education, Common Cause, Common Sense, Consortium for School Networking, Competitive Carriers Association, EdTech Center @ World Education, Free Press Action Fund, International Society for Technology in Education, Microsoft, National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors, National Coalition for Literacy, National Collaborative for Digital Equity, National Congress of American Indians, National Consumer Law Center on behalf of their low-income clients, National Digital Inclusion Alliance, National Hispanic Media Coalition, National League of Cities, National Parent Teacher Association, New America’s Open Technology Institute, Next Century Cities, NTEN, Public Knowledge, Rural Telecommunications Congress, Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition, State Educational Technology Directors Association, and the Urban Libraries Council.

Learn More, Read the Complete Announcement

Filed under: Associations and Organizations, Data Files, Funding, Libraries, News

SHARE:

About Gary Price

Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

Job Zone

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Infodocket Posts

Idaho: "Sheriff Scopes Out Explicit Library Books"

From The Coeur d’Alene Press: “Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said he has heard from both sides about reportedly inappropriate materials available to youth at local libraries. One side argued ...

MIT Libraries Receives Grant From National Science Foundation to Explore Open Science Evaluations with ICOR; Clarivate Establishes Academia...

AI Generative AI Has Disrupted Education. Here’s How It Can Be Used For Good – UNESCO (via WEF) University of Leeds Research Report on Potentials for AI in Libraries (via ...

Resources: FCC Chairwoman Rosenworcel Proposes to Restore Net Neutrality Rules

UPDATED POST (Sep. 27, 2023): ALA Welcomes FCC Chair Rosenworcel’s Proposal to Reinstate Network Neutrality Rules —End Update— From a FCC Fact Sheet: The internet is too important to our ...

Brown University Digital Publications Joins the Association of University Presses; Report on Open Book Collective's (OBC) First Annual...

Advocacy ‘A Toolkit for Knowledge Rights Advocacy’ – KR21 Workshop Report (via LIBER) Open Book Collective Report on Open Book Collective’s (OBC) First Annual General Assembly of Custodians Publishing Brown ...

Governor Gavin Newsom Signs Bill Blocking California School Boards From Banning Inclusive Books

From The Sacramento Bee: California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday evening signed a bill into law barring school boards from banning books, instructional materials or curricula labeled as inclusive or ...

Article: "Journal Production Guidance for Software and Data Citations"

The full text article linked below was published today by Scientific Data. Title Journal Production Guidance for Software and Data Citations Authors Shelley Stall, Geoffrey Bilder, Matthew Cannon, Neil Chue ...

AI Book Bans: Testing LLMs Against the Freedom to Read; ChatGPT Can Now See, Hear, and Speak; &...

AI What I Found in a Database Meta Uses to Train Generative AI (via The Atlantic) Book Bans A Ban on Book Bans? Teachers, Students Call on Pennsylvania Lawmakers to ...

Journal Article: "Librarians’ Attitudes, Needs, and Barriers to Participating in International Conferences: A Survey of ALA Members"

The article linked below was recently published by the International Journal of Librarianship. Title Librarians’ Attitudes, Needs, and Barriers to Participating in International Conferences: A Survey of ALA Members Authors ...

Just Released: 2023 EDUCAUSE Horizon Action Plan: Generative AI

From EDUCAUSE: In 2023, generative AI emerged as the most rapidly adopted technology in history. All members of the higher education community, from students to administrators, are trying to determine ...

Colorado: "Former Weld County Librarian Wins Settlement After District Fired Her For Promoting LGBTQ, Anti-Racism Programs"

From Colorado Public Radio: A former librarian will receive $250,000 from the High Plains Library District as part of a settlement in a lengthy civil rights dispute over her firing. ...

Journal Article: "Video Game Equipment Loss and Durability in a Circulating Academic Collection"

The article linked below was published online today by Evidence Based Library and Information Practice (EBLIP). Title Video Game Equipment Loss and Durability in a Circulating Academic Collection Authors Diane ...

New Report: "Alternative Publishing Platforms. What Have We Learnt?"

From Knowledge Exchange: Different alternative publishing platforms have appeared over recent years. But what are their pros and cons? Do they differ significantly from traditional scholarly journals? To better understand ...

ADVERTISEMENT

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

Tweets by infoDOCKET

ADVERTISEMENT

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

Primary Sidebar

  • News
  • Reviews+
  • Technology
  • Programs+
  • Design
  • Leadership
  • People
  • COVID-19
  • Advocacy
  • Opinion
  • INFOdocket
  • Job Zone

Reviews+

  • Booklists
  • Prepub Alert
  • Book Pulse
  • Media
  • Readers' Advisory
  • Self-Published Books
  • Review Submissions
  • Review for LJ

Awards

  • Library of the Year
  • Librarian of the Year
  • Movers & Shakers 2022
  • Paralibrarian of the Year
  • Best Small Library
  • Marketer of the Year
  • All Awards Guidelines
  • Community Impact Prize

Resources

  • LJ Index/Star Libraries
  • Research
  • White Papers / Case Studies

Events & PD

  • Online Courses
  • In-Person Events
  • Virtual Events
  • Webcasts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Media Inquiries
  • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Submit Features/News
  • Data Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Terms of Sale
  • FAQs
  • Careers at MSI


© 2023 Library Journal. All rights reserved.


© 2022 Library Journal. All rights reserved.