Approximately 32% of Arizona residents do not have affordable and reliable broadband connections in their homes. The need for lasting digital divide remedies has mobilized various community-based collaborations among public and private stakeholders statewide. 

In a February 2022 letter to Arizona Governor Ducey, Next Century Cities praised partnerships like the Internet initiative between Isaac Elementary School District and Arizona State University which brought wireless service to students’ homes or the City of Mesa’s downtown fiber ring that fuels local businesses, promotes public safety, and enables smart city applications while providing free public WiFi connections for residents. Since then, the fact that more than 32,000 of Tuscon’s roughly 212,000 households lack reliable Internet access led Pima County’s public library and information technology department to take a leadership role in developing a Strategic Planning Taskforce for Digital Access. 

On October 4, 2022, the Connect Pima and Literacy Connects coalition organized a Digital Literacy Forum to raise awareness of the need to invest in digital literacy and inclusion programs. Next Century Cities Executive Director, Francella Ochillo, was invited to give keynote remarks on the far-reaching consequences of residents of all ages and economic backgrounds being local out of digital opportunities. 

Ochillo provided examples of how digital equity work is anchored in addressing multi-dimensional societal challenges – achieving equal access to housing and healthcare, expanding workforce development, fighting poverty, increasing financial literacy, boosting census turnout, etc. She implored around 85 librarians, community organizers, and local officials in attendance to focus on what is possible in their community and emphasized the need for community organizations to partner with local and county officials on long-term plans that improve broadband access and increase affordability.

Watch the full forum here.