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Broadband and Digital Equity and the Workforce

Office of Broadband and Digital Equity

November 2023

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Why?

$65B

$42.5B
$267M

$2.75B

$25M

92%

23%
45%

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BEAD vs. DE OVERVIEW

The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funds will contribute to planning, infrastructure deployment, and adoption programs across all states and U.S. territories. Maryland was awarded $267 million for BEAD implementation.

The Digital Equity Act allots $2.75 billion for the establishment of grant programs with the purpose of facilitating digital equity and inclusion. NTIA has not announced the individual state and territory allocations for the digital equity plans.

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DIGITAL EQUITY FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program:

In 2024, Maryland will receive money from NTIA to implement the Maryland Statewide Digital Equity Program over five years

Digital Equity Competitive

Grant Program:

In 2025, NTIA will open a program to fund annual digital equity grants for four years. Maryland communities and organizations can apply directly to NTIA.

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92% of jobs require digital skills, yet one-third of workers have low or no digital skills due to historic underinvestment, structural inequities (National Skills Coalition)

Workers that qualify for jobs that require even one digital skill can earn an average of 23% more than in a job requiring no digital skills – 3 skills = 45% more

BEAD also implemented several requirements that, according to its Workforce Planning Guide, are intended to support “the development of an equity-driven telecommunications workforce that offers good jobs and opportunities to workers in America, especially for populations who have been historically underserved by public policy initiatives.”

Even before the IIJA was passed, industry associations anticipated demand for new broadband sector jobs at 850,000 through 2024. The IIJA has only increased this projected demand. Last year, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo predicted that the IIJA’s $65 billion in funding for broadband alone would create between 100,000 and 200,000 new jobs. Last month, Brookings hosted a panel discussion on creating ‘good jobs’ for vulnerable workers in the broadband sector. During this discussion, panelists predicted an increase in about 70,000 construction jobs alone—50% at job sites, 40% in manufacturing, and 10% in design. The Government Accountability Office (GAO), meanwhile, believes the BEAD program alone could create 23,000 new jobs just for skilled telecom workers. And other research has suggested that the IIJA, as a whole, is expected to create almost 800,000 new jobs every year over its 10-year lifetime.

National Skills Coalition (NSC) in partnership with the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta released Closing the Digital Skill Divide, a real-time snapshot of demand for digital skills in the US labor market. The analysis finds that 92% of jobs analyzed require digital skills. Previous NSC research found one-third of workers don’t have the foundational digital skills necessary to enter and thrive in today’s jobs. Together, these findings point to a significant digital skill divide. The new report also found that public investments in closing this digital skill divide can generate measurable economic payoff for businesses, workers, and the broader economy.

The report finds strong demand for digital skills across every industry (dispelling misconceptions that demand exists primarily in the tech sector) and in almost every occupation, including entry-level and frontline positions. The report also finds that the digital skill divide disproportionately impacts workers of color, low-income individuals, and rural residents, due to historic underinvestment and structural inequities.

The findings suggest that states that target resources toward digital skill building could generate measurable monetary benefits:

Workers that qualify for jobs that require even one digital skill can earn an average of 23 percent more than in a job requiring no digital skills. Moving from a job requiring no digital skills to one requiring at least three can increase pay by an average of 45%.
For the economy as a whole, these increased earnings could generate more state and federal tax revenue. Depending on the household size and composition, this could range from $1,363 to $2,879 in additional tax revenue per household per year.
For businesses, turnover costs (estimated at $25,000 when a worker quits within the first year to over $78,000 after five years) can be averted or delayed by ensuring that workers have upskilling opportunities.

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Digital Equity Fund & Digital Skills Training Overview

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Digital Equity Fund

WHO - The Digital Equity Fund supports the creation of community-led digital inclusion plans and provides funding for communities to bring those plans to life. The fund provides three types of grants to Baltimore-based nonprofit organizations working in close partnership with community.

WHAT – Grants that set the foundation with awareness, engagement, and education for Baltimore City neighborhoods on what digital equity is, how the digital divide impacts communities, what resources are available to them, and develop neighborhood-level digital inclusion plans. Implementation grants support the execution of digital inclusion plans and activities.

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DEF Grantees offering digital education services

Education & Outreach: Asylee Women Enterprise (AWE) seeks to address these digital disparities through a range of digital inclusion activities, including digital education classes held through AWE's Day Program. Class topics will include using email, using online search engines, how to identify and report scams, password protection, downloading and using translation, rideshare, and banking apps. Most classes will be provided at AWE's office in Northeast Baltimore and will serve asylum seekers and foreign-born trafficking survivors of all ages and genders who are residing in the US without permanent status.

Planning & Mobilization: Associated Black Charities (ABC) plans to design and implement specialized programs will focused on digital literacy, teaching essential skills for using computers, smartphones, and accessing online resources. ABC will also provide multilingual communication through translated materials, language-specific training and support to address language barriers and ensure inclusivity in Park Heights, Johnston Square, Broadway East, and Cherry Hill. By offering resources and assistance in multiple languages, ABC aims to overcome language barriers and ensure that individuals with diverse language backgrounds can fully participate in and benefit from the digital equity program.

Implementation: No Boundaries Coalition (NBC) use funding to provide digital education with a focus on youth and elders to Baltimore city residents. Classes will be offered in two easily accessible locations, Baltimore Unity Hall building (1505 Eutaw Place) and at the Fresh at the Avenue Market (1700 Pennsylvania Avenue). Community members will be able to utilize technology for best results in schoolwork, job searches, banking, internet searches, accessing health care information and appointments, document creation, printing, and more.

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Digital Equity Fund Grantees who also offer Digital Skills Trainings

North Baltimore

Asylee Women Enterprise (AWE)
Code in the Schools, Inc.
The Village Learning Place

South Baltimore

CASH Campaign of Maryland, Inc. (Union Square)
Enterprise Community Development, Inc.
City of Refuge (Pigtown)

West Baltimore

Byte Back
Enterprise Community Development, Inc.
The Center for Technology Access and Training

East Baltimore

Medstar Union Memorial Hospital
Pcs for People (Franklin Square)
Next One Up (Franklin Square)
Little Flowers Early Childhood and Development Center, Inc

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Tech Hubs

Connectivity + Technology + Digital Inclusion Programming = Tech Hubs

The Broadband & Digital Equity Team along with Baltimore City Recreation & Parks (BCRP) will establish tech hubs at several recreation centers throughout Baltimore City. Tech hubs are defined as centers with reliable internet connectivity, devices, and digital education programming and resources.

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Free Online Digital Skills Training

Information regarding free and self-paced digital skills trainings will be available at all tech hubs. A comprehensive list of these trainings can be found on the Broadband & Digital Equity Virtual Skills & Online Resources webpage.

Learning topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

Digital Literacy Assessment
Computer Basics
Digital Skills for Job Seekers
Cell Phone Basics
Internet Basics
Email Basics

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Digital Equity Fund – Cycle II

The Digital Equity Fund (DEF) cycle II will focus on providing digital education services and initiatives in low digital inclusion communities throughout the City of Baltimore.

Grant Types & Tiers

Tier I - Digital Literacy Education Training

Digital Literacy training for older adults at Senior Centers
Digital Literacy training for all at Recreation Centers

Tier II - IT Fundamentals Training – Tier II

Advance digital education training for participants interested in obtaining industry certifications and IT Careers.

Tier III - Digital Creatives & Virtual Makerspaces Programming

Digital creatives classes, workshops, and events
Sample Topics: Social Media Content Creation, Web Development Essential, 3D Design & Printing, Video Editing for Beginners, How to Create and Monetize a YouTube Channel, etc.

Tier IV – Community Tech Support

Device Repair Clinics
Community Help Desk

Call Center
Mobile Unit