The Indy Digital Equity Plan is One to Watch!

On November 18, the United Way of Central Indiana announced the region’s digital equity plan. This plan will serve the seven-county region of Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Marion, Morgan and Putnam counties for the next five years. The Purdue Center for Regional Development worked closely with a taskforce of organizations from the region to review data, draft goals, and gather feedback. While digital equity plans are not a new concept, Indiana has several including a statewide plan and several regional and county-level plans. Central Indiana’s plan is one to watch. Here are three reasons to keep your eye on the digital equity landscape in the region over the next five years:

Behind every great plan is an organization acting as a catalyst to bring people together and move them toward a common goal. Central Indiana’s plan stands out because of the leadership from the United Way of Central Indiana. Most digital equity plans are led by a government organization or adjacent group. In contrast, the United Way of Central Indiana is a long-standing non-profit, with a history of working with the vulnerable populations that often find themselves on the wrong side of the digital divide. Because the United Way is already well established, they also have many connections to other organizations in the regions which can be leveraged for effectively implementing the plan. The unique leadership of this plan makes it one to watch.

Advocacy is important to United Way, and this has left a mark on the digital equity plan. Goal number four is dedicated to advocating for policies that support digital equity. The taskforce plans to use digital equity data to advocate with policy makers, local leaders, community organizations and Central Indiana residents to further digital equity in the region. Given United Way’s history and the many great partners on the taskforce, the team is well positioned to carry out this goal and it will be exciting to see what comes from it.

Regardless of the subject matter, the people make the plan, and there are great people behind this plan! The taskforce is composed of a wide variety of organizations from chambers of commerce to libraries and non-profits. These taskforce members have a history of working with the populations most vulnerable to the digital divide. Even though this plan is already backed by a rockstar team, they are still recruiting new members so there is nowhere to go but up for this group.

The launch of Central Indiana’s digital equity plan is an important milestone. The plan is a culmination of the yearlong work among PCRD, United Way of Central Indiana, and the various taskforce members. While we congratulate and celebrate this great work, this plan is an indicator of even greater things to come. These are just three examples. If you would like to be a part of this digital equity initiative, please reach out to United Way’s Impact Senior Director Jonathan Jones (jonathan.jones@uwci.org) and Project Specialist Gary Thompson (gary.thompson@uwci.org).

View the press release and also check out the Central Indiana Digital Equity Plan.