HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil Presentation - Connect Pima PresentationMichelle Simon,
Director, Office of Digital Inclusion
Javier Baca,
Pima County IT Director
WHAT IS CONNECT PIMA?
Connect Pima’s mission is to ensure that everyone in Pima County has
affordable, reliable high-speed internet and the tools they need to successfully
participate in our society and economy.
Connect Pima uses a three-pronged approach to improve digital inclusion by
guiding:
The development of broadband infrastructure.
The implementation of digital literacy initiatives.
Increased access to devices and tools for connectivity throughout Pima County.
ACCESS IN PIMA COUNTY
Data from The National Telecommunications and Information Administration
(NTIA) shows large swaths of Pima County and metro-Tucson with broadband
rates below the Federal Communications Commission minimum standard.
According to a June 2021 report:
•85% of Pima County households had broadband of some type.
•12% had no internet access.
•8% had no computer, smartphone or tablet.
Connect Pima: Household Poverty and Internet Access by Block Group
WHAT IS DIGITAL INCLUSION?
Digital Inclusion refers to the activities necessary to ensure that all
individuals and communities, including the most disadvantaged, have
access to and use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs).
This includes five elements:
1.Affordable, robust broadband internet service.
2.Internet-enabled devices that meet the needs of the user.
3.Access to digital literacy training.
4.Quality technical support.
5.Applications and online content designed to enable and encourage
self-sufficiency, participation and collaboration.
DIGITAL INCLUSION
-- digitalinclusion.org
ENABLING MIDDLE MILE BROADBAND
INFRASTRUCTURE GRANT AWARD
Pima County awarded grant to increase broadband’s reach
The U.S. Commerce Department announced June 16, 2023, that Pima County will receive a
$30.3 million grant to expand high-speed internet infrastructure and increase internet access
for residents in unserved or underserved areas.
The five-year grant from the National Telecommunications Information Administration (NTIA)
will fund the creation of a 134-mile open access fiber ring around the county.
The grant requires the County and local partners to contribute nearly $13 million in local funds
or in-kind contributions, bringing the total budget for the project to more than $43 million.
PROJECT TIMELINE AND REQUIREMENTS
5-year project starting July 1, 2023.
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and National Historic
Preservation Act (NHPA) requirements must be met before
construction.
Requests for proposals will be issued for subject matter experts for
environmental assessments and construction/management of the
fiber ring.
134-MILE
FIBER RING
COUNTY VOICES
Once in a lifetime opportunity to improve connectivity.
“We live in a digital age, and if you want to grow and prosper as a community,
everyone in the community needs to have access to the tools that bring
opportunities for success.”
-- County Administrator Jan Lesher
“When it comes to education, we shouldn’t have a system of haves and have nots,
and that’s the part of this grant that has me the most excited because it will give
struggling families access to tools that a lot of us take for granted.”
-- District 1 Supervisor Rex Scott
QUESTIONS??