NDIA recognized the city for essential efforts to close the digital divide and increase equity
Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023 — Cleveland — Yesterday, the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) named Cleveland to the list of local governments leading the way on closing the digital divide.
Cleveland joins a record number of Digital Inclusion Trailblazers, with 47 total awardees representing municipal, county, and regional governments paving the way for digitally inclusive communities across the country. Now in its seventh year, NDIA’s Trailblazers program sets a national standard for digital inclusion and serves as a benchmark for municipalities across the country.
“We are proud of this recognition of our critical work on broadband access in Cleveland,” said Mayor Justin M. Bibb. “This year we hired our first full-time Digital Equity & Inclusion Manager, established a program to make access affordable with DigitalC and began charting the future of high-quality broadband for all with SiFi Networks — and we’re just getting started.”
In addition to the recognition, NDIA Trailblazer cities provide models for other local governments to aspire to as communities build digital inclusion ecosystems. Along with the list, NDIA launched an open, searchable collection of resources and documents from the 2023 Trailblazer awardees, making their best practices free and available to the community.
“Nonprofits, libraries, churches, and other community organizations can’t reach digital equity on their own. For everyone to thrive in today’s digital world, we need all hands on deck,” said Angela Siefer, NDIA executive director. “NDIA’s Digital Inclusion Trailblazers exemplify the key role local governments have in building connected communities for all of their residents.”
NDIA revised the Trailblazer program this year, identifying seven categories of current best practices. Each applicant’s materials are verified for accuracy, assessed for community impact, and posted in an interactive map and searchable database on NDIA’s website. By sharing materials with open-sourcing, NDIA provides community advocates and local governments ways to continue learning, connect with trailblazing peers, and plan their own digital inclusion solutions.
About National Digital Inclusion Alliance: NDIA advances digital equity by supporting community programs and equipping policymakers to act. Working collaboratively with more than 1,500 digital inclusion practitioners, NDIA advocates for equitable broadband access, tech devices, digital skills training, and tech support. For more information, visit digitalinclusion.org.
