In January 2023, Vernonburg Group published a handbook intended to help state and local governments better understand and increase digital equity in their communities. This Digital Equity Handbook reviews:

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• What publicly available data tells us about digital equity in local communities and how they impact various demographics, including income, education levels, race, and age.
• How income can be one of several key factors in determining whether a household has access to fixed residential broadband and, if so, subscribes to such service.
• How the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) and similar programs can help eliminate cost and affordability as considerations for low-income households, and why extending the ACP into the future should be a national priority.
• Ways program administrators can use data, visualizations, and survey work to guide targeted programmatic interventions.
• Examples of successful digital equity programs, including those leveraging public-private partnerships involving government, digital navigators, digital skilling programs, and other community-based non-profits, and the private sector.

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The handbook documents how: 1) the broadband adoption gap is far greater than broadband availability gap; 2) broadband availability and adoption are lower across the U.S. in locations with higher rates of poverty; and 3) lower broadband and device adoption rates persist among residents of rural areas, communities with low rates of literacy and digital skills, aging individuals, persons with disabilities, and certain minority groups. Importantly, national statistics do not tell the whole story. Broadband availability and adoption gaps impact different groups, communities, and individuals differently and therefore localized and individualized assessments and interventions are needed to truly address digital inequities. Broadband availability and adoption programs should be equitable by design, meaning programs should seek to address underlying social and economic inequalities and focus on groups, areas, and characteristics of greatest need.

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