In May 2022 six digital equity partners came together to establish the California Alliance for Digital Equity, a coalition focused on advancing digital equity and inclusion throughout the state. At the time our initial and urgent goal was to elevate community voices advocating in support of key pieces of digital equity legislation, such as CA Assembly Bill 2748 (Holden), a Digital Infrastructure and Video Competition Act reform bill.
While CADE secured immense philanthropic, non-profit, and community support for many of our legislative priorities, the alliance came head-to-head with heavy industry pushback, which played a significant role in blocking a number of critical digital equity reforms that year.
The experience did not dissuade us from continuing our advocacy. Instead, it solidified and intensified our collective mission, making us realize how important it was for the alliance to not only be maintained, but to grow.
For too long internet service providers have been the dominant stakeholders engaged on statewide issues relating to device acquisition, broadband access, and digital literacy. Not anymore. It’s time for change, and CADE is ready to lead the charge.
