By Ryan Johnston 

On January 5, 2023, Next Century Cities (“NCC”) and the Technology Learning Collaborative (“TLC”) partnered to host a broadband breakfast with one outcome in mind: to equip local leaders with the information needed to take steps toward their digital equity goals.

The event brought together local, state, and federal broadband leaders at the ExCITe Center at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to share their current broadband projects, plans for the future, and how local officials can collaborate with state and federal agencies to ensure that community-based perspectives are incorporated into state broadband plans.

NCC’s Francella Ochillo and Brian Donoghue provided opening remarks. Kate Rivera introduced the Technology Learning Collaborative. Juliet Fink-Yates, Digital Inclusion Manager for the City of Philadelphia, shared the outstanding programming and analysis the City has developed this year including the four facets of Philadelphia’s digital equity plan. She explained that guaranteeing Philadelphians access to connectivity, devices, digital skill training, and building sustainable capacity and infrastructure is key to achieving digital equity in Philadelphia over the next five years. Additionally, Fink-Yates  highlighted ways in which the City is interested in partnering with the State to develop policies for the distribution of new federal funding.

At the community level, Wayne Hunter, Founder of Talking Tech with Wayne, shared his experience working as a digital skill trainer and technical solutions provider. Hunter explained that making technical information more accessible to the average consumer, especially older adults, is critical to get them digitally engaged. Noting that when someone calls into his organization for support, his techs are trained to educate individuals, instead of just providing tech support. This turns a simple service call into a valuable digital learning experience that bolsters an individual’s technical knowledge and empowers them in the future.

From academia, Dr. Christopher Ali, Pioneers Chair and Telecommunications Professor at Penn State University, shared his thoughts on how urban and suburban communities statewide can work towards digital equity. Dr. Ali focused on three areas that can propel a community toward digital equity: planning, partnerships, and patience. When a community is planning for digital equity, it should focus on what its assets are and how those assets can impact the community’s digital needs. Dr. Ali pointed to town halls, surveys, focus groups, and interviews as successful ways to assess digital needs. He also urged communities to take an inventory of their existing partnerships because the best digital solution may come from the most unlikely partner.

At the state level Erin Wachter, Deputy Director of the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority (“PBDA”) shared an overview of the PBDA – how it was created and what its goals are for the future. Wachter pointed out that there are four core challenges facing Pennsylvanians’ ability to access or adopt broadband: broadband infrastructure availability; device access; affordability; and digital literacy or technical support. She further explained how the PBDA planned to take advantage of current federal funding to address these challenges promoting infrastructure deployment and digital access as immediate priorities. Wachter also provided a timeline for when specific funding milestones would be reached and expressed excitement about working with all those in the room to ensure the success of new federal funding.

The program concluded with a presentation from Nicole Ugarte-Swanson, Federal Program Officer for Pennsylvania at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (“NTIA”). She provided an in-depth look at the NTIA’s timeline for rolling out Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment funding. Ugarte-Swanson emphasized the need for communities to submit mapping data to the Federal Communications Commission by January 13, 2023. Local officials were encouraged to use the NTIA as a resource and partner to help communities across the Commonwealth complete grant applications.