[Houston, TX. December 13, 2023] - Harris County was named one of 22 Visionary Digital Inclusion Trailblazers for 2023 by the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA). The award recognizes the County for its efforts to ensure that all residents regardless of income have access to the internet and technology to thrive in an increasingly online world.
County departments cited by NDIA included
- Harris County Public Library for its American Rescue Plan Act grant-funded HCPL Connected initiative that distributed 20,000 laptop computers and 40,000 WiFi hotspots to residents who did not have devices or internet service that met their work and school needs. HCPL was also recognized for its robust collection of online educational tools available free on its website that offer learning resources for all levels of digital literacy from beginner to professional.
- Harris County Universal Services and Harris County Office of Broadband (HCOB) whose multi-year comprehensive Digital Inclusion Strategy aims to enable digital equity and resilient broadband availability through the engagement of stakeholders, community partners, and residents. As of August 2023, it has provided 215,000 households with free or subsidized internet service.
NDIA Digital Inclusion Trailblazers Award recognizes "municipal, county, or regional governments that are paving the way and providing excellent models for digitally inclusive communities. They are intentional. They are invested. They are committed to advancing digital equity. The Trailblazers recognition isn’t just an award — it’s also a collection of valuable resources. The places selected as Trailblazers provide models to aspire to, demonstrating how local governments can support their own digital inclusion ecosystems," according to the NDIA website
