Connecting Washington for Full Economic Potential

As students and parents in Lakewood and across Washington State welcome the new school year, they’re stocking up on pencils, notebooks, and backpacks—the supplies needed to succeed. However, the most crucial supplies for students in the modern economy may be digital skills and access to broadband.

According to the National Skills Coalition, the digital divide isn’t just about access to broadband, computers, and other hardware; it’s also about access to skills. Massive investments made through the bipartisan infrastructure law will send billions of dollars to states and localities across the U.S. over the next five years to help close the digital divide. This includes $1.2 billion, slated to flow to Washington State through the Digital Equity Act and the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program.

New research demonstrates the urgency and the payoff if Washington directs a significant portion of these resources to high-quality digital skills training programs. 92% of today’s jobs need digital skills, and demand is consistently high across industries in Washington, including information (99%); healthcare (95%); arts, entertainment, and recreation (90%); and agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting (86%). What’s more, these jobs, on average, earn 23% more money.

Even among young people entering the workforce, though, digital skills still need to be nurtured, built, and reinforced in school and at home with devices that can access the Internet. Internet Essentials tries to tackle the main issues faced by those in Pierce and across Washington State who have access to broadband at home but haven’t adopted it yet. The program provides low-cost devices, affordable broadband, and digital inclusion services to show the relevancy of the Internet and how learning digital skills is critical to advancing in today’s economy.

Over a decade, Internet Essentials has connected 32,500 households in Pierce County and more than 200,000 households statewide to the Internet, many for the first time. In a survey of Internet Essentials customers in Washington, 84% reported the service benefited their children’s education, like doing homework, studying, or participating in online learning. Further, 74% said it helped them manage personal finances, like paying bills, monitoring accounts, checking their credit score, or applying for loans. These success stories are a testament to the transformative power of digital skills training and broadband access.

More infrastructure is needed in rural areas of Washington. Fortunately, the federal government is investing billions nationwide to bring high-speed Internet to the 7% of households the FCC broadband maps find don’t have broadband access. Comcast is proud to participate in this expansion effort with communities across our footprint. The situation's urgency is apparent, and time is of the essence to get everyone connected.

Through our Internet Essentials Partner Program, school districts, cities, and community-based organizations can sponsor high-speed Internet services for low-income families, particularly those with K-12 students. We’ve also opened free WiFi in 92 non-profit organizations and community centers across the state through our Lift Zones program. Some also offer Digital Navigators – trusted individuals who can educate people about the importance of getting online and provide their clients with advice and the tools to do so.

As we embark on this academic year, one thing is clear: the symphony of actions to get students online will prepare the next generation for a lifetime of digital learning — one child at a time. Comcast is committed to this cause and will continue to advocate for digital skills training and broadband access in Washington State.

Disclaimer: Andy Colley is a senior director and copywriter for Comcast NBCUniversal.