Broadband and Digital Equity for Pennsylvania Public Libraries

Broadband: high-speed Internet access that is always on and faster than traditional dial-up access. Includes high-speed transmission technologies like fiber, wireless satellite, digital subscriber line and cable. 

Broadband adoption: residential subscribership to high-speed Internet access. Also, daily access to the Internet: at speeds, quality, and capacity necessary to accomplish common tasks, with the digital skills necessary to participate online, and on a personal device and secure convenient network. 

Broadband equity: occurs when all people and communities are able to access and use affordable, high-speed, reliable internet that meets their long-term needs. 

Community anchor institution: entities that are rooted in their local communities by mission, invested capital, or relationships to customers, employees, and vendors.  Includes such entities as schools, libraries, medical and healthcare providers, public safety entities, community colleges, and other institutions of higher education, and other community support organizations and agencies that provide outreach, access, equipment, and support services to facilitate greater use of broadband service by vulnerable populations, including low-income, the unemployed, and the aged. These entities have stable organizational practices and are typically housed in a physical location that is accessible to all and expected to be sustained in that location and community long term. 

Digital citizenship: the responsible use of technology and etiquette pertaining to an online presence for the purposes of professional networking and development.  Digital citizens have a broad understanding of the short- and long-term implications of sharing information on the internet and recognize the rights, responsibilities, and opportunities of living, learning, and working in an interconnected digital world, and they act and model in ways that are safe, legal, and ethical. 

Digital divide: gap between those who have affordable access, skills, and support to effectively engage online and those who do not. As technology constantly evolves, the digital divide prevents equal participation and opportunity in all parts of life, disproportionately affecting people of color, Indigenous peoples, households with low incomes, people with disabilities, people in rural areas, and older adults.  

Digital equity: condition in which all individuals and communities have the information technology capacity needed for full participation in our society, democracy, and economy. Digital equity suggests that all workers, learners, and communities have access to training they need to gain relevant skills and the technology necessary to participate in our society and economy. Advancing digital access and skill development ensures all residents (including those who have been historically marginalized, such as disabled, minorities, and low-income) have access to reliable, affordable, and secure technological infrastructure as well as training to gain required foundational and occupational digital skills. Digital equity is necessary for civic and cultural participation, employment, lifelong learning, and access to essential services.  

Digital fundamentals: digital literacy skills beginning with foundational technology skills, such as typing, computer basics, internet browsing, and use of business applications.  

Digital inclusion: the work that cities and states are doing with partners to create a state of digital equity.  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.  This includes 5 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; and 5) applications and online content designed to enable and encourage self-sufficiency, participation, and collaboration. Digital Inclusion must evolve as technology advances and requires intentional strategies and investments to reduce and eliminate historical, institutional, and structural barriers to access and use technology.  

Digital literacy: the ability to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information, requiring both cognitive and technical skills. 

Digital navigator: trusted guide who assists community members in internet adoption and the use of computing devices. Digital navigation services include ongoing assistance with affordable internet access, device acquisition, technical skills, and application support which may be provided in person, by phone, or via email or text within the context of a full- or part-time position or within an existing job function. 

Digital redlining: discrimination by internet service providers in the deployment, maintenance, or upgrade of infrastructure or delivery of services. The denial of services has disparate impacts on people in certain areas of cities or regions, most frequently on the basis of income, race, and ethnicity.  

Digital resilience: awareness, skills, agility, and confidence to be empowered users of new technologies and adapt to changing digital skills demands.  

Digital skills: the abilities needed to fully, safely, and responsibly participate in a society reliant on digital technology and the Internet. Digital skills include the ability to use and continue to learn to use frequently changing devices and software platforms, and to find and access, organize, evaluate, create, and communicate information with understanding of online safety and data security to accomplish the individual’s living, learning, and working needs.    Included are examples of the terms used in this definition to add clarity: 

• Continue to learn to use:  refers to “learning to learn” including the skills to find ongoing digital literacy education or resources or to learn independently. 
• Find / access: e.g., power on a device; use discovery tools (search queries, web browser search engines, tools designed for databases or websites); find accessibility features like closed captioning. 
• Organize: e.g., be able to find an online resource again after you’ve accessed it; safely track usernames and passwords. 
• Evaluate: discern reliability of online information; assess the quality of information available online. 
• Create: e.g., code; self-publish; generate digital content such as updating a website or putting information in a spreadsheet; set up a digital calendar. 
• Communicate: e.g., use email; use social media platforms responsibly; use messaging apps; use mobile phones. 
• Living needs: dependent on the individual. Examples: access virtual health care, learn to use a computer interface in a vehicle, obtain and verify public benefits, e-file taxes. 
• Learning needs: dependent on the individual. Examples: participate in K-12 remote learning or postsecondary virtual learning; find and use adult education resources like SkillUp™ PA.  
• Working needs: dependent on the individual. Examples: foundational Microsoft Office skills, research skills, or skills specialized to an industry. 

Digitally literate person: someone who possesses the variety of technical and cognitive skills required to find, understand, evaluate, create, and communicate digital information in a wide variety of formats and is able to use diverse technologies to retrieve information, interpret results, and judge the quality of that information. They also understand the relationship between technology, life-long learning, personal privacy, and the stewardship of information and use these skills and the appropriate technology to communicate and collaborate with peers, colleagues, family, and the general public. They use these skills to actively participate in civic society and contribute to a vibrant, informed, and engaged community. 

Foundational digital literacy: having baseline technology skills, such as typing (inputting), knowledge of basic computer functions, internet browsing, and the use of business applications. 

Foundational digital skills: a core of base level digital skills which underpin the ability to use technologies including the following examples: 

• Turn on a device. 
• Use the available controls on the device including volume, navigation, and input mechanisms such as keyboard or voice controls. 
• Make use of accessibility tools on device as needed for efficiency or ease of use; interact with the home screen on the device. 
• Understand that an internet connection (wireless or wired) allows access to information, content, and communication. 
• Connect a device to a safe and secure network. 
• Open a browser to find and use websites. 
• Understand that passwords and personal information need to be kept safe and secure to minimize risk; remember, update, and change a password. 

Occupational digital literacy: the ability to use and continue to acquire new digital skills used at a place of employment or as a part of a job or occupation. Employers may list skills that are necessary for occupational digital literacy at a job, such as the ability to safely and securely use identified software applications to complete work on computers, laptops, tablets, or mobile devices to communicate or log transactions, interactions, time, or to create and share work products. Examples may be understanding of workplace software applications or the ability to use intermediate and advanced features of common office applications to complete required work tasks. 

Occupational digital skills: skills in using technology as a part of a workplace function.  These skills may be required by an employer or agency before hire or to pass a probationary period.  

These definitions taken from Appendix A: Broadband Glossary, in  Advancing Digital Skills in Pennsylvania: 2022 State Plan and Recommendations: Recommendations for advancing the digital skills of adult workers in Pennsylvania, provided by the 2021-22 Workforce Innovation Network Pennsylvania team. This planning was made possible through a grant from the National Governors Association. 

Broadband Glossary Prepared by Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development

• Backbone – A major high-speed transmission line that strategically links smaller high-speed Internet networks across the globe.[i]

• Broadband - Commonly refers to high-speed Internet access that is always on and faster than traditional dial-up access. Broadband includes high-speed transmission technologies, like Fiber, wireless satellite, digital subscriber line and cable.[ii]

• Broadband Adoption – Use of broadband in places where it is available, measured as the percentage of households that use broadband in such areas. Link to digital inclusion definition.[iii]
• Broadband Capability - FCC consumers to have access to actual download speeds of at least 25Mbps and actual upload speeds of at least 3Mbps.[iv]

• Broadband Data Maps – Maps created under section 802(c)(1) of the Communications Act of 1934.[v]

• Broadband Infrastructure - Any fiber optics, cable, wiring, or other permanent (meaning integral to the structure) infrastructure, including wireless infrastructure, which can provide access to internet connection in individual locations and is an advanced telecommunications capability as defined in section 706(d) of the Telecommunications Act of 1997.[vi]

• Burst Speed – A method which momentarily allots additional bandwidth to consumer’s services for short period of time.[vii]

• Co-location - The way information technology hardware and resources are located or installed in a shared or common location. In this context, networking hardware resources owned by an organization are located outside the organization’s physical premises and “co-located” with other organizations’ hardware, often through a commercial service provider.[viii]

• Community Anchor Institution - An entity including any school, library, health clinic, health center, hospital or other medical provider, public safety entity, institution of higher education, public housing organization or community support organization, which facilitates greater use of broadband service by vulnerable populations, including low-income individuals, unemployed individuals, and aged individuals, that lack access to gigabit-level broadband service.[ix]

• Community Anchor Institutions – Schools, libraries, medical and healthcare providers, public safety entities, institutes of higher education and other community support organizations that provide outreach, access, equipment, and support services to facilitate greater use of broadband service by the entire population and local governments.[x]

• Community Needs Assessment – Assessment of the deficiencies that exist in a community that are preventing it from reaching goals or desired results related to broadband.[xi]

• Cross-connect - A cable connecting two separate “facilities” (in the context of telecommunications). The cable may be either copper or fiber optic, depending on the circumstances. The facilities may be a switch, a router, patch panels, or other hardware. Cross-connects are typically used as the means to provide a connection between two parties.[xii]

• Dark Fiber - Fiber that is in place but not being used for broadband services (non-lit fiber).[xiii]

• Digital Divide – The gap between those of a populace that have access to the internet and other communication technologies and those that have limited or no access.[xiv]

• Digital Equity – Recognizes that digital access and skills are now required for full participation in many aspects of society and the economy. Digital Equity links digital inclusion to social justice and highlights that a lack of access and/or skills can further isolate individuals and communities from a broad range of opportunities.[xv]

• Digital Equity – The condition in which individuals and communities have the information technology capacity that is needed for full participation in the society and economy of the United States.[xvi]

• Digital Inclusion – The activities that are necessary to ensure that all individuals in the united states have access to, and the use of, affordable information and communication technologies such as; reliable fixed and wireless broadband internet services, internet enabled devices that meet the needs of the user and, applications and online content designed to enable and encourage self-sufficiency, participation and collaboration and includes obtaining access to digital literacy training, the provision of quality technical support and obtaining basic awareness of measure to ensure online privacy and cybersecurity.[xvii]

• Implies that individuals and communities have access to robust broadband connections; internet enabled devised that meet their needs; and the skills to explore, create and collaborate in the digital world.[xviii]
• Digital Literacy - The skills associated with using technology to enable users to find, evaluate, organize, create, and communication information.[xix]

• Digital Skills - Any skills related to operating digital devices or taking advantage of digital resources.[xx]

• Fiber - A flexible hair-thin class or plastic strand that is capable of transmitting large amounts of data at high transfer rates as pulses or waves of light.[xxi]

• Fixed Wireless Broadband Access - The use of wireless devices/systems in connecting two fixed locations, such as offices or homes. The connections occur through the air, rather than through fiber, resulting in a less expensive alternative to a fiber connection.[xxii]

• High-speed broadband service - Wireless, wireline, or fixed wireless technology having a latency sufficient to support real time, interactive applications, and the capacity to reliably and consistently transmit data from or to the internet:[xxiii]
  • Minimum speeds of at least 100 megabits per second downstream and 20 megabits per second upstream
  • Minimum speeds adopted by the federal communications commission or
  • Minimum speeds otherwise required to comply with funding opportunities from the federal government, whichever is greater

• Interconnection - The linking of numerous telecommunications networks to exchange user traffic.[xxiv]

• Last Mile - The technology and process of connecting the end customer’s home or business to the local network provider.[xxv]

• Latency – The time it takes it takes a request to travel from one device to another device over the internet.[xxvi]

• Middle Mile - The connection between a local network, also called a last mile connection, and the backbone internet network.[xxvii]
• Open Access Network - Networks that offer wholesale access to network infrastructure or services provided on fair and reasonable terms with some degree of transparency and nondiscrimination.[xxviii]

• Overbuild - The development of high-speed broadband service infrastructure in an area that is not unserved or underserved.[xxix]

• Rights-of-Way (ROW) – Legal rights to pass through property owned by another. ROW are frequently used to secure access to land for digging trenches, deploying fiber, constructing towers, and deploying equipment on existing towers and utility poles.[xxx]

• Tier 1 Internet Network – A network of Internet providers that form a superhighway that allows users access to every other network on the Internet.[xxxi]

• Tier 2 Internet Network - A network of smaller Internet providers that allow users to reach some portion of the Internet but that still purchase IP transit.[xxxii]

• Underserved Area - A project area that is not an unserved location and lacks access to reliable broadband service offered with a speed of not less than 100 megabits per second for downloads and 20 megabits per second for uploads and a latency sufficient to support real-time, interactive applications.[xxxiii]

• Underserved Location - A location that is not an unserved location and as determined in accordance with the broadband DATA maps, lacks access to reliable broadband service offered with a speed not less than 100 megabits per second for downloads and 20 megabits per second for uploads and a latency sufficient to support real-time, interactive applications.[xxxiv]

• Unserved Area – A designated geographic area in which households or businesses do not have access to at least 25 megabits per second downstream speeds and 3 megabits per second upstream speeds.[xxxv]

– A project area that has no access to broadband service or lacks access to reliable broadband service with a speed of not less than 25 megabits per second for downloads and three megabits per second for uploads and a latency sufficient to support real-time, interactive applications.[xxxvi]

• Unserved Location - A broadband-serviceable location, as determined in accordance with the broadband DATA maps that has no access to broadband service or lack access to reliable broadband service offered with a speed not less than 25 megabits per second for downloads and 3 megabits per second for uploads and a latency sufficient to support real-time, interactive applications.[xxxvii]
• Unserved Service Project - A project in which not less than 80 percent of broadband serviceable locations served by the project are unserved locations.[xxxviii]
• VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) – A technology that allows users to send and receive voice calls using an Internet connection instead of a phone line.[xxxix]
• WiMAX - A wireless technology through which wireless Internet access is provided with a significantly larger range than regular WiFi. WiMAX can provide broadband service up to 30 miles.[xl]

PA Forward defined areas for library focus that may all include an element of digital literacy.

Basic Literacy: Developing foundational competency including reading, writing, math, job application assistance, and overall life-skill development. Also includes STEM (Science Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) knowledge building on basic skills and concepts.

Information Literacy: Having the ability to express, connect with and understand knowledge and communication through comprehensive and innovative formats; the ability to distinguish between credible and non-credible sources; recognizing when information is needed to further oneself, an objective or a project.

Civic and Social Literacy: Engaging in discourse while remaining respectful of other individuals of varying opinions; understanding the importance of community engagement which allows individuals to interact with one another, in a participatory manner; invoking societal change.

Health Literacy: Having the ability to make informed decisions in relation to an individual’s physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual health; Also applies to caregivers understanding the health information of a loved one.

Financial Literacy: Having the knowledge and understanding necessary to make informed fiscal/economic decisions for personal life planning and business interests including responsible budgeting, spending and saving skills.