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SALT LAKE CITY — Almost 20 percent of the population in Salt Lake City does not have a computer, according to Utah Communities Connect, a nonpartisan digital inclusion advocacy group.
Computer access for many means heading to the library after work, or trying to finish homework on a school computer.
Internet coverage in Utah varies as well. According to Utah Communities Connect, only 26 percent of Utahns have access to 1-gigabit broadband, an ultra high-speed internet. Some Utahns don't have any internet access, and 9 percent of people in the state only have one or two choices for wired providers.
These issues were part of the discussion between Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski and various community partners at the Google Fiber Space office in Salt Lake Nov. 6.
The group had gathered to share Salt Lake City's updated digital inclusion plan — a roadmap to help those in the city without access to digital tools find the resources they need.
"We've brought community members together to help our community thrive," Biskupski said.
Joining the group was Dr. Joy Pierce, a professor with the University of Utah and author of Digital Fusion: A Society Beyond Blind Inclusion. Pierce shared her research about the gaps in digital equity and how the lack of internet access can affect those without, especially racial and ethnic minorities with limited education and financial resources.
But digital inclusion is more than just access to the internet, she said, it also includes digital literacy skills as well as the hardware to learn those skills.
Biskupski emphasized what Pierce had said by breaking down the digital inclusion effort into three main parts, including:
- Working collaboratively to get the hardware people need, like computers, into their homes.
- Getting people the software they need, like access to the internet.
- Helping people understand "the network of systems in the city that can be utilized," especially to learn how to use the hardware and software.
While the city has committed to the digital inclusion plan, there is still much that needs to be decided, Biskupski said. As the plan develops, city officials will rely on community and partner feedback.
Nole Walkingshaw, who has been involved in Salt Lake City's digital inclusion plan since the beginning, said the digital inclusion plan would become part of the city's master plan.
"We can (now) do the next step, which is the development of a more specific, strategic plan. It's within that development of the strategic plan that we can start formalizing those public-private partnerships," he said.
Walkingshaw hopes that in January the plan goes to the City Council for approval to create the foundation for budget recommendations and strategies. Participants at the digital equity planning meeting expressed hope that others would understand the lack of internet access in the community and how increasingly important that access is.
Salt Lake City and Utah Communities Connect are currently working to map both the gaps and strengths in the community.
Liesl Seborg, a member of the Utah Communities Connect council representing Salt Lake County Library Services, said the website is being added to "all the time" and that the digital equity maps that show internet coverage by county show where there are gaps as well as strong connectivity.
More information can be found at utahcc.org.
Those who wish to contribute to digital equity or find out more can contact Nole Walkingshaw at nole.walkingshaw@slcgov.com or Anna Hirt at anna.hirt@slcgov.com.
Walkingshaw hopes that in January the plan goes to the City Council for approval to create the foundation for budget recommendations and strategies. Participants at the digital equity planning meeting expressed hope that others would understand the lack of internet access in the community and how increasingly important that access is.
Salt Lake City and Utah Communities Connect are currently working to map both the gaps and strengths in the community.
Liesl Seborg, a member of the Utah Communities Connect council representing Salt Lake County Library Services, said the website is being added to "all the time" and that the digital equity maps that show internet coverage by county show where there are gaps as well as strong connectivity.
More information can be found at utahcc.org.
Those who wish to contribute to digital equity or find out more can contact Nole Walkingshaw at nole.walkingshaw@slcgov.com or Anna Hirt at anna.hirt@slcgov.com.
