By Michael Bielawski
The Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB) is asking to hear from the public on the state’s draft Digital Equity Plan and how it might be improved.
According to the Green Mountain State’s Digital Equity Plan, priority access to broadband may prioritize access based on race – which may violate federal law.
The plan involves how to distribute $2.75 billion via three grant programs “to ensure all people have the skills, technology, and capacity needed to reap the full benefits of our digital economy.”
Who gets first dibs on this money will at least in part be determined by your race. There is a list of the ‘program priorities’ that includes factors such as age, disabilities, income, and also “members of racial or ethnic minority groups”.
According to a report on VermontBiz.com, certain covered populations have been at an economic disadvantage compared to others, thus justifying the policy. It states, “A central piece in developing the plan is gathering data on the experience and barriers of people who fall within the Covered Populations from the Digital Equity Act.”
It continues that “racial or ethnic minorities” will be included in “covered populations” which will get priority broadband access.
It states, “Covered Populations include people who live in low-income households (income up to 150% of poverty level), aging individuals (60+), people who are members of racial or ethnic minorities, veterans, people with disabilities, people with a language barrier or who have low levels of literacy, incarcerated or formerly incarcerated individuals, and people who live in a rural area. 96% of Vermonters fall into at least one of these categories.”
The plan does not specify whether racial minorities will need to demonstrate economic hardship to qualify.
The virtual listening session will occur on Thursday, Dec. 14 at 6:30 p.m. Those who are interested to sign up can click here.
Vermont’s Digital Equity Plan
According to a draft copy of the state’s Digital Equity Plan, the state estimates that POC trend in lower income brackets than their white counterparts.
“Vermonters who are members of racial and ethnic minority groups often also face significant broadband adoption barriers, many driven by income,” it states.
“In Vermont, the median household income for any racial or ethnic minority group is below that of the median income for white households.”
It continues, “Poverty levels for racial and ethnic minority Vermonters are also significantly higher than for their white counterparts; for example, the poverty rate for Black Vermonters is more than twice the poverty rate for white Vermonters (23.8 percent vs. 10.7 percent), and the poverty rates for Asian Vermonters (15.4 percent), Native American Vermonters including members of state-recognized Abenaki tribes (17.6 percent) and Hispanic Vermonters (16.2 percent) are all at least 44 percent higher than the rates for white Vermonters.”
The Civil Rights Act
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 states that no person shall ever be favored for goods or services based on race.
It states that, “All persons shall be entitled to the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, and accommodations of any place of public accommodation, as defined in this section, without discrimination or segregation on the ground of race, color, religion, or national origin.”
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Vermont legislature proposed distributing housing money by race
A bill that would prioritize land and home ownership based primarily on an skin color was once considered at the Vermont Statehouse but did not become law.
“H.273 aims to foster racial and social equity in land access and property ownership by creating grant programs, financial education, and other investments ‘targeted to Vermonters who have historically suffered from discrimination and who have not had equal access to public or private economic benefits due to race, ethnicity, sex, geography, language preference, immigrant or citizen status, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status, or disability status,’” the report states.
The author is a reporter for the Vermont Daily Chronicle