UNH Cooperative Extension is proud to announce the completion, submission, and approval of the state of New Hampshire’s Digital Equity Plan. In July of 2023, the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension (UNHCE) was awarded $510,216 by the New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs (BEA) to lead the development of a five-year plan to connect residents statewide with access to high-speed internet, digital devices, training, and the services and resources made possible through digital technologies. The effort, in partnership with the National Collaborative for Digital Equity (NCDE) and the Digital Equity Research Center at the Metropolitan New York Library Council, seeks to close the digital divide by eliminating barriers to economic opportunity and fostering a sustained infrastructure of support systems and increased access to digital services by diverse individuals and communities. For this plan, digital equity is the principle that all individuals and communities should have equitable access to digital services and resources, regardless of socioeconomic status, location, or background.
In developing this plan, the University of New Hampshire Extension, National Center for Digital Equity, and the Digital Equity Research Center directly engaged over 1,000 stakeholders through 92 meetings with digital equity partners and constituents of covered populations between November 2022 and October 2023. Those meetings included 26 focus groups with participants representing underserved populations, 24 meetings with partner organizations that have a shared goal of enhancing digital equity, eight sector summits focused on key plan objectives and metrics, one statewide asset advisory council meeting, two statewide forums, nine meetings with regional digital equity coalitions, and over 25 key informant interviews.
For more information on NH’s Digital Equity Plan, visit NH Department of Business and Economic Affairs at www.dbea.nh.gov. The plan can be found at the following site: https://www.nheconomy.com/getmedia/cc160520-5c8e-4e26-92b5-d8fcbfba239d/NH-Digital-Equity-Plan_Final.pdf
