The Pennsylvania State Digital Equity Coalition (PASDEC) was launched in summer of 2022 as a coalition of organizations working to advance a statewide strategy for community-informed digital equity work. Our priorities include:
- Ensuring that there is meaningful community engagement in the digital equity planning process, including a seat at the table for digital inclusion practitioners and/or coalitions, and “lived experts” who are members of the populations most affected by digital inequity.
- True partnership and substantial dialog with digital equity coalitions and digital inclusion practitioners, rather than arms-length outreach or information sharing
- Planning and implementation processes that identify what works and that leverage local resources rather than duplicate efforts or impose top-down solutions.
- Work with the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority (PBDA) and state planning processes operate with transparency and with inclusion as the focus.
- That ultimately Pennsylvania receives their fair share of funding for broadband and digital equity work and that those funds go to the organizations doing effective work in the communities most in need. Funding sources include the following programs: BEAD (Broadband Equity Access and Deployment), DEA (Digital Equity Act), CPF (Capital Projects Fund), and ARPA/SLFRF (American Rescue Plan Act/Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds).
Zoom meetings are held biweekly, and include representatives from the member organizations, PBDA, as well as the NTIA liaison for Pennsylvania.
Please contact us to join.