The Digital Equity Act
BASIC DEFINITIONS
Digital Equity: The National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) defines digital equity as “a condition in which all individuals and communities have the information technology capacity needed for full participation in our society, democracy, and economy.”
Digital inclusion: Digital inclusion involves the activities necessary to ensure equitable access to and use of information and communication technologies for participation in social and economic life including for education, social services, health, social and community participation.
Digital inclusion includes:
As many services have moved online and with the increasing use of telehealth to deliver primary care, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, digital inclusion, including digital literacy and internet access is increasingly regarded as a social determinant of health.[2]
REFERENCES
1. Wilson, Chris K.; Thomas, Julian; Barraket, Jo (2019-06-30). "Measuring Digital Inequality in Australia: the Australian Digital Inclusion Index". Journal of Telecommunications and the Digital Economy. 7 (2): 102–120. doi:10.18080/jtde.v7n2.187. ISSN 2203-1693. S2CID 201305031.
2. Sieck, Cynthia J.; Sheon, Amy; Ancker, Jessica S.; Castek, Jill; Callahan, Bill; Siefer, Angela (2021). "Digital inclusion as a social determinant of health". NPJ Digital Medicine. 4 (1): 52. doi:10.1038/s41746-021-00413-8. ISSN 2398-6352. PMC 7969595. PMID 33731887.
- Provides digital skills training and education and education to low-income populations
- Improves online accessibility of social services for individuals with disabilities
- Empowers rural communities to measure and address their own broadband needs
BASIC DEFINITIONS
Digital Equity: The National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) defines digital equity as “a condition in which all individuals and communities have the information technology capacity needed for full participation in our society, democracy, and economy.”
Digital inclusion: Digital inclusion involves the activities necessary to ensure equitable access to and use of information and communication technologies for participation in social and economic life including for education, social services, health, social and community participation.
Digital inclusion includes:
- access to affordable broadband Internet services,
- Internet-enabled devices,
- access to digital literacy training,
- quality technical support, and applications
- and online content designed to enable and encourage self-sufficiency, participation, and collaboration.
As many services have moved online and with the increasing use of telehealth to deliver primary care, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, digital inclusion, including digital literacy and internet access is increasingly regarded as a social determinant of health.[2]
REFERENCES
1. Wilson, Chris K.; Thomas, Julian; Barraket, Jo (2019-06-30). "Measuring Digital Inequality in Australia: the Australian Digital Inclusion Index". Journal of Telecommunications and the Digital Economy. 7 (2): 102–120. doi:10.18080/jtde.v7n2.187. ISSN 2203-1693. S2CID 201305031.
2. Sieck, Cynthia J.; Sheon, Amy; Ancker, Jessica S.; Castek, Jill; Callahan, Bill; Siefer, Angela (2021). "Digital inclusion as a social determinant of health". NPJ Digital Medicine. 4 (1): 52. doi:10.1038/s41746-021-00413-8. ISSN 2398-6352. PMC 7969595. PMID 33731887.
DIGITAL EQUITY & INCLUSION IS NEXT!
www.maineconnectivity.org/regional-broadband-partners
