Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City DENVER / OKLAHOMA CITY / OMAHA Search our site content: menu DIGITAL DIVIDE Our work to bridge the digital divide focuses on promoting access to affordable home broadband, and the skills and devices needed to participate in today’s digital economy. Our work The Employer Laptop Challenge Closing the digital divide was serious work before COVID-19. It is imperative now. The Kansas City Fed's Employer Laptop Challenge Disconnected: Seven Lessons on Fixing the Digital Divide The report focuses on broadband access, economic impact and solutions for communities to narrow the digital divide. January 08, 2021 Digital Divide #LaptopHeroes share their stories Governments, businesses, banks offer advice for others who could donate too Resources Affordable broadband External Link Discount Internet Guidebook – NDIA and Public Knowledge The guidebook is a practical guide for digital inclusion practitioners, such as libraries and government agencies. It describes affordable broadband plans for low-income households offered by commercial internet providers, with information about who is eligible, how to apply and more. Click External Link here to access the searchable list of discount offers. External Link Broadband Now: What ISPs serve your ZIP code? BroadbandNow has identified 2670 internet service providers in the U.S., their coverage and download speeds. External Link Enter your ZIP code and the website tells you which DSL, copper, cable, fiber-optic, fixed wireless and mobile broadband providers serve where you live. Scroll down for an “internet provider competition map” for your region, showing how many providers serve which census tracts. CRA grantmaking and the digital divide External Link Closing the Digital Divide: A Framework for Meeting CRA Obligations, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, 2016 The report provides financial institutions with an understanding of how broadband meets the “primary purpose” definition of the Community Reinvestment Act, a road map of best practices for closing the digital divide, and a list of tips for preparing their case for digital opportunity investments, among other elements. External Link Guide to CRA Grantmaking for Digital Equity and Economic Inclusion, National Collaborative for Digital Equity (NCDE), August 2018 This brief guide to using the Community Reinvestment Act for digital inclusion contains examples of digital investments and tips on how to create effective CRA proposals aimed at narrowing the divide. NCDE updates the guide regularly. Evaluation and Collaboration External Link Digital Inclusion: Outcomes Based Evaluation - Benton Foundation Outcomes-based evaluation provides a way for programs that promote digital inclusion to understand the impact of the services provided. This report describes the challenges facing community-based groups and others in using outcomes-based evaluation to measure the success of their digital inclusion programs and offers recommendations to address those shared barriers. External Link The Digital Inclusion Coalition Guidebook - NDIA NDIA developed The Digital Inclusion Coalition Guidebook to capture and share lessons learned from six existing coalitions. The guidebook offers advice for starting and building a coalition and on the types of things that digital inclusion coalitions typically do. Recycling electronics External Link Certified Electronics Recyclers – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency There are two certification standards for electronics recyclers—the eStewards® Standard for Responsible Recycling and Reuse of Electronic Equipment© and the R2-Certified Recycling Standard for Electronics Recyclers. This site offers information about both programs, and an interactive map of where recyclers are located and what services they offer. Find the nearest Microsoft Registered Refurbishers External Link here. Rural Broadband External Link Becoming Broadband Ready: A Toolkit for Communities, Next Century Cities, January 2019 Next Century Cities is a nonprofit membership organization founded to support communities and elected officials in providing broadband. It offers a toolkit that covers topics such as: building a community movement; establishing policies and procedures such as “dig once” and “simplified permitting;” creating a digital inclusion plan; identifying legislative and regulatory barriers; exploring connectivity options such as co-ops or open access networks; exploring financing options; and more. The toolkit includes real-life examples and a helpful glossary and checklist. External Link Community Network Map – Institute for Local Self-Reliance The interactive map includes more than 800 communities. It tracks a variety of ways in which local governments have invested in wired telecommunications networks as well as states with laws that discourage such approaches. The map can be configured for a lot of detail, or to focus on just one element, such as dark fiber, gigabit speeds, citywide fiber, etc. External Link Broadband Scorecard Report – R Street Companies that want to deploy broadband must deal with regulatory barriers imposed by government. Much of the regulation comes from the Federal Communications Commission, but state and local governments also play a role. This 2019 study evaluates all 50 states and assigns each a score based on how conducive their laws are to broadband deployment. Latest on Digital Divide Can we measure benefits of broadband? | August 24, 2021 Hotspots plus laptops appear to improve student performance | August 6, 2021 Oklahoma City employers have free way to donate used laptops to support community groups | May 25, 2021 Help households sign up for Emergency Broadband Benefit | May 17, 2021 Federal funds available for home internet | April 2, 2021 Foundations get creative to narrow digital divide | February 4, 2021 Community Development Senior Advisor Skip to Community Development Senior Advisor Table Jeremy Hegle Senior Community Development Advisor Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City Kansas City jeremy.hegle@kc.frb.org Name ABOUT CONNECT MONEY MUSEUM CAREERS SUBSCRIBE PRIVACY DISCLAIMER ACCESSIBILITY FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF KANSAS CITY 1 MEMORIAL DRIVE KANSAS CITY, MO 64198 800-333-1010 © 2021 - Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City