Title
To recognize the week of October 2nd through 7th 2022 as Digital Inclusion week in the city of Columbus.
Body
WHEREAS, the Franklin County Digital Equity Coalition is a group of community organizations working together to spread awareness and improve digital equity; and
WHEREAS, twenty percent of Franklin County households do not have do not have a cable modem, DSL, or fiber Internet account; and
WHEREAS, ten percent of Franklin County households have Internet access only through a cellular plan; and
WHEREAS, households with income below $35k account for one-quarter (25%) of households in Franklin County, and account for 70% of the households without Internet; and
WHEREAS, seniors (65+) account for 12% of the population, and they account for 30% of those without a computer or home Internet service; and
WHEREAS, only 5.6% of white residents and 2.7% of Asian residents live without a computer or home Internet subscription. In contrast, 11.3% of Hispanic/Latino and 11.8% of black/African American residents lack these tools; and
WHEREAS, Digital Inclusion Week is an opportunity to help raise awareness of the challenges that exist for households without Internet access, and to promote proven strategies to help reduce roadblocks to digital inclusion; and
WHEREAS, now therefore, BE IT RESOLVED that Columbus City Council does hereby recognize the important work of the Franklin County Digital Equity Coalition.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
That this Council does hereby recognize October 2nd through 7th 2022 as Digital Inclusion week in the city of Columbus, and supports efforts to improve digital equity and Internet access.