Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo spoke at the National Governors Association's 2022 Winter Meeting recently, delivering remarks on digital literacy and broadband access, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) reports.
Raimondo, the former governor of Rhode Island, opened the Plenary Session on K-12 Computer Science Education and moderated a discussion on how to prepare the future workforce for a digital workplace. Joining Raimondo in the discussion were CEOs Julie Sweet of Accenture, Corie Barry of Best Buy and Beth Ford of Land O’Lakes, the NGA reports.
In her opening remarks, Raimondo acknowledged many of the governors at the meeting are committed to expanding access to computer-science education in their states. The DOC provided a transcript of the speech Feb. 9 on its website.
"We all recognize that if we want to increase economic prosperity, we must provide every American with the technology and digital skills they need to thrive in today’s economy," Raimondo said.
Raimondo told the governors that the federal government is dedicated to closing the digital and opportunity divides faced by many young people in the country, and highlighted the funding provided by the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
"The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides $65 billion to expand affordable, high-speed broadband in communities across the U.S.," Raimondo said according to the transcript, "and that includes nearly $3 billion in funding for the Digital Equity Act."
The flexible Digital Equity Initiative allows states to provide digital literacy training, computers and hardware, NGA reports. During the panel discussion, Raimondo noted that 50 percent of Americans on tribal lands and one-third of Americans in rural areas don't have access to broadband. She said the intent of the law is to address disparities and improve affordability.
In her remarks, Raimondo called upon the governors and state leaders at the meeting to develop Digital Equity Plans.
"I encourage you to start thinking about how you will draft plans that provide every one of your constituents with digital skills they need to succeed in education and the workforce," Raimondo said. "I also encourage you to start building the infrastructure to take advantage of this historic investment."
Raimondo told governors that their efforts to work with the federal government to close the digital divide "are crucial to both our recovery from the pandemic and ensuring that America remains competitive in the global economy, and we want to make sure your voices are being heard at the federal level," the transcript records.
The National Governor's Association is a non-partisan organization of the 55 governors of the states, commonwealths and territories of the United States, according to the group's website. Its Winter Meeting was held Jan. 28-31 in Washington, D.C.
