The NDIA Digital Inclusion Trailblazer designation is a long-tenured national designation for whether local-level governments are committed to digital equity, dating back to 2016, which is quite a long time in the local government digital equity space. In order to achieve the trailblazers designation, local governments must meet one of a set of six requirements, including having full-time staff working on digital inclusion, having a digital inclusion plan, building an open-access coalition, conducting related survey research, funding digital inclusion programming, and supporting efforts to increase the affordability of home broadband service.
The NDIA — which is a national nonprofit that has led the way for digital inclusion work in the government space — reports that in addition to this year seeing the most trailblazer designations, this was also a record year for government agencies applying for trailblazer status. By comparison, last year there were 17 total trailblazer designations, meaning the list this year nearly doubled.
The full list can be found via the NDIA’s website, but some of the newcomers this year include Chicago; Cuyahoga County, Ohio; Dallas; Door County, Wis.; Durham, N.C.; Franklin County, Ohio; Houston; Minneapolis and Hennepin County, Minn.; Oakland, Calif.; Philadelphia; Randolph County, N.C.; San Diego; Solano County, Calif.; and South Bend, Ind.
The trailblazers project also features an open-access catalog of materials that local government agencies can use to support digital equity in their jurisdictions.
“Trailblazers is not only a showcase of high-quality digital inclusion work, it is also an invaluable cache of information for those looking to replicate tested tactics and strategies that push the envelope of what it means to pursue digital equity,” said Angela Siefer, NDIA executive director, in a statement with the announcement.
Digital inclusion work generally has seen an influx of support after the COVID-19 pandemic made clear how important the three pillars of digital equity are, those being access to an affordable Internet connection, access to a device to use that connection, and the skills needed to use them both in meaningful ways. This has sparked all kinds of new support, from cross-sector partnerships to interest from elected officials to the first-ever federal allocation for digital equity, to the tune of $2.75 billion.
Looking ahead, this increase in trailblazers may indicate a trend that will carry through to the next year, as the money coming down will go through the states.
“As the Infrastructure Act continues to roll out, city and county digital inclusion plans will prove more necessary and influential. As states create plans under the Digital Equity Act, they will be required to consult and include existing city plans within their states,” NDIA officials wrote in this year’s announcement.
