3 days ago
Alliance for Digital Equity pushes for internet access for underserved on namesake day
SPRINGFIELD — Health care, education, Social Security, the Veterans Administration, job applications and city hall are only a click away.
That's if a family has reliable internet access of sufficient speed and capacity to get the job done.
'There are a lot of families that have to go without,' said Rachelle Lee of Springfield on Wednesday. 'If they can't go to the library and get a hot spot, they have difficulty. I think it should be considered a public utility.'
Digital literacy classes are also needed, Lee said, so elders and others can use the tools.
There are fewer since the Republican-led Congress allowed the $14.2 billion Affordable Connectivity Program to lapse last year. The Biden-era legislation had enrolled 55,000 Western Massachusetts households.
Lee is a part of the Connect Hampden County Coalition, part of the Alliance for Digital Equity advocating for proposed Massachusetts digital equity legislation.
There were events on Beacon Hill on Wednesday, marking what backers call Digital Equity Day. A standout on the steps of Springfield City Hall was called off because of the extreme heat.
A bill pending in the state Legislature would require Massachusetts internet providers to offer a $15-a-month flat-rate high-speed plan to qualifying low-income consumers. It has the backing of co-sponsors state Sens. Adam Gomez, D-Springfield, and Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, and state Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa, D-Northampton.
Sonia N. Ramos lives in the Library Commons complex in Holyoke and is a digital peer navigator with Way Finders, a nonprofit housing agency and developer that helped organize Digital Equity Day.
Ramos recalled when her daughter was in high school during the pandemic: Schools were shut down. Classes went online. But her family had no way to connect.
'Her classes were her future,' Ramos said in a phone call. 'I remember walking the streets, looking for a signal, looking for help.'
Alliance for Digital Equity has about 200 members in Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin and Berkshire counties, according to a statement. It's housed at Baystate Health.
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