Bridging the Digital Divide for All Vermonters
Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB) is proud to announce the kickoff of its Digital Empowerment (DE) Plan. The DE Plan is the way Vermont will make sure every Vermonter has high-quality, accessible, affordable technology resources and knows how to use them.
Vermont’s DE Plan has five parts: research to understand what’s needed, devices for people who need them, a Digital Navigator Program to provide resources and teach digital skills, workforce training to maximize digital opportunity, and grants to organizations representing and serving Vermonters negatively impacted by the digital divide. These grants will support organizations to scale their capacity to provide services complementary to Vermont's Digital Empowerment plan. The goal is to support and improve existing efforts in a sustainable way.
“Our mission is to remove barriers for every Vermonter regardless of their identity, community, or economic or other challenges. We believe that everyone deserves to take full advantage of the opportunities reliable broadband provides for so many aspects of everyday life,” said VCBB Digital Equity Officer Britaney Watson.
In order to meet these goals, VCBB has recently hired Digital Equity Data and Research Specialist Yujie Li. Ms. Li has over six years’ experience as a researcher and data scientist in both academia and industry and will be leading the research to learn what barriers Vermonters are facing to be able to effectively and safely get online. VCBB has also partnered with Rural Innovation Strategies, Inc. (RISI), a Vermont-based social impact nonprofit consulting firm with a multi-disciplinary team of strategists, advocates, and capacity builders to assist with data collection and analysis.
“Our state and country have made this unprecedented investment in broadband infrastructure. Now we need to maximize the social impact of that investment and make sure that everyone can benefit from the power broadband has to enhance and transform lives,” said VCBB Executive Director Christine Hallquist.
Vermont was awarded $5.3 million in federal funding to implement its DE Plan. You can read the DE Plan, including a plan summary and translation into 14 languages and an ASL video summary, at our website. You can also register to attend our next quarterly virtual meeting on April 16 2:00-3:30. Everyone is welcome.
Source: Montpelier, Vermont — Vermont Community Broadband Board
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