How Can Local Governments Act as Effective Stewards for Federal Broadband and Digital Equity Funds: Five Questions with Bill Walters + Autumn Marshall from EICRPD
What can and should local government leaders do to ensure that their communities most effectively leverage the billions of dollars for broadband access and equity that the US Department of Commerce (NTIA) is distributing? Last month, I posed this high-level question to Bill Walters and Autumn Marshall at East Central Indiana Regional Planning District (EICPRD). As an organization, EICRPD is committed to a vision of regional economic growth that includes quality of life and community enhancements. Notably, EICRPD decided to host a cohort member from the American Connection Corps, an AmeriCorps program that recruits and places Corps members in digitally disconnected communities.
In this post, I have summarized a wide-ranging and important conversation with EICRPD’s Executive Director (Walters) and ACC Cohort Member (Marshall). To me, ECIRPD paints a compelling picture for the ways in which local, county, regional and state officials can act as effective stewards for Federal funding for broadband and digital equity.
What is the work of ECIRPD and what us the Connection to Digital Equity?
Walters: At ECIRPD, we administer state and local grants and ensure the communities of East Central Indiana leverage available funding. We focus our efforts on the 1–69 corridor. Our communities have brownfield sites, including a decommissioned General Motors manufacturing site. We work on an array of issues related to regional water and sewer infrastructure.
Walters: Our work connects to Digital Equity in several ways. The top industry in our region is agriculture and new agricultural equipment is broadband-enabled. We recognize that rural America still needs to be connected. Ensuring residents of our communities have access to high-quality healthcare, education, and professional training is central to EICRPD’s work. We appreciate that broadband and technology can help our residents connect with healthcare professionals, teachers and trainers. To this end, ECIRPD is working behind the scenes to set the table for efforts designed to ensure that our communities benefit from NTIA’s Broadband Equity Access Deployment funding.
How does hosting an ACC Cohort Member Help Advance Digital Equity in East Central Indiana?
Walters: When it comes to broadband access, equity and digital skills in rural communities like ours, there is a challenging chicken and egg question. For folks who do not have access to digital technologies like broadband, they might not have a clear appreciation for why they should work to advance their digital skills? But without digital skills, how can they advocate for investments like broadband networks and broadband-enabled services? With Autumn on-board, ECIRPD has a resource who can meet residents where they are. She can and does work with — and listen to — average folks in our community. This is critically important.
Marshall: I love that I have the opportunity to spend a lot of my time face-to-face with community residents. I also enjoy that I get to work with County Commissioners. I attend the meetings and share what I have learned. It is amazing that I have a seat at the table.
Can you provide examples of the face-to-face time you spend with community residents?
Marshall: Since the beginning of my time at ECIRPD, I have been offering and teaching free computer skills workshops. I’ve also been helping local organizations draft challenges that are part of the BEAD process. Folks are concerned that Indiana’s allotment of the BEAD funding will be insufficient. For this reason, residents, local governments, regional entities like ECIRPD need to make sure that BEAD funding is used in unserved and underserved areas.
Lessons for Local Government Leaders and Regional Planning Organizations more specifically?
Walters: For any organization that has a mandate to advance economic development and opportunity in their community, efforts to ensure broadband connectivity and enhance digital skills among all community residents must be a priority. Digital equity efforts, at their core, advance community economic development and opportunity. My message to local governments and regional planning organizations: “if your communities’ strategic plans do not include 1) advancing broadband availability and adoption and 2) planning for broadband-enabled services for healthcare, education and etc, your community will be left behind.”
“If your communities’ strategic plans do not include 1) advancing broadband availability and adoption and 2) planning for broadband-enabled services for healthcare, education and etc, your community will be left behind.”
What is next?
Marshall: Expand computer skills workshops to additional counties in East Central Indiana. Continue face-to-face efforts to advance communities that could be left behind, focusing on senior citizens, for example.
Walters: Weave efforts to advance digital equity into the region’s 5 and 10-year plans. Wholistic plans that clearly outline a region’s digital equity goals set the table for effective collaboration with broadband providers, not-for-profit organizations and state and local government leaders. It is through effective collaboration, that East Central Indiana will ensure that reliable broadband service is available to all residents and that all residents see the value of broadband to their lives.
About this Medium Site
On this Medium site, I explore an array of topics related to the transformative power of smart and connected communities. A central question for this observer of the so-called smart community movement: how will municipalities, real estate developers, universities and other leading organizations develop, deploy and support smart and connected community projects at scale?
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