Cities Asked to Provide Digital Equity Info

The Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet is asking city officials for help identifying digital equality issues in the commonwealth. The Cabinet has a digital inclusion questionnaire for communities and organizations that provide internet service and a residential survey for individual Kentuckians. The state hopes to gather information that provides a picture of where digital access and skills may create barriers to employment and quality of life.

Kentucky aims to ensure everyone in the state can access reliable and affordable high-speed internet and the skills and knowledge necessary to take advantage of the resource. The goal is to encourage citizens to acquire basic computer skills while protecting online security. Digital capability is often a base requirement for employment and other life necessities.

Citizens also need to be able to access and use the internet to enroll in the Affordable Connectivity Program, a federal benefit that helps households afford broadband.

Information acquired through the Digital Inclusion Questionnaire will also be used to develop Kentucky’s first five-year state digital equity plan, which will be the basis for building a strategy for addressing gaps.

City officials can access the questionnaire here.

The residential survey is designed to help Kentucky understand the experiences and barriers citizens face regarding digital equity. The state encourages cities to distribute the survey to residents.

You can access the residential survey here.