Digital Equity Index
A new measure of Digital Equity Reflecting broadband adoption and meaningful use
Challenge: Nearly one in five households in Cuyahoga County, Ohio do not have internet access, ranking Cuyahoga County 91st among the 100 largest counties in the United States. According to data on broadband usage from Microsoft only 48% of households in Cuyahoga County use higher-quality, broadband internet.
Lack of internet access hinders participation in modern society. As shown during the COVID-19 pandemic, workforce, education and healthcare opportunities increasingly call for ready access to dependable, high-speed internet.
Opportunity: Urbanova worked with Cleveland-based nonprofit Digital C to develop a new neighborhood-based digital equity index that incorporated eight different factors related to broadband adoption and meaningful use. The adoption sub-index highlights availability, affordability, access and usability while the meaningful use sub-index examines utilization of digital technologies related to daily living (education, civic involvement, health care and workforce issues).
Partner: DigitalC- www.digitalc.org
Reference: View the Index at https://arcg.is/1OanrL
