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To declare that equal access to high-speed gigabit internet access in every home; educational and training facility; and business of the City is a public necessity for all residents and to request that the Chief Administrative Officer develop and implement a “Digital Equity Assessment and Plan” to provide access to high-speed gigabit internet access to all residents.
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WHEREAS, the Council believes that all residents of the city of Richmond should have reliable and affordable high-speed gigabit internet access in their homes, schools, parks, and communities, equitably, in all neighborhoods of the City; and
Whereas, upon information and belief of the Council, market failures have resulted in the exclusion of lower income communities, particularly Black and Brown families, from a rapidly changing digital society and economy that would allow affordable opportunities for tele-health, education, employment, and business opportunities, that are denied homes with high-speed gigabit internet access; and
WHEREAS, the Council believes that the COVID-19 pandemic exposed societal inequities in access to high-speed gigabit internet in parts of the City; and
WHEREAS, the Council believes that residents would benefit from digital inclusion efforts that provide educational and training programs that would bridge the digital divide across Richmond’s neighborhoods; and
Whereas, the Council re-affirms its support for the goals of the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Commonwealth Connect plan, striving for universal broadband access across the state; and
WHEREAS, Council has adopted Resolution 2021-R019, which requested that the Chief Administrative Officer cause the development of a digital connectivity map, including both vertical assets and infrastructure owned by the City and of existing fiber networks, for the purpose of developing a strategy to provide universal broadband access across the city of Richmond for all residents and business owners;
NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND:
That the Council hereby declares that equal access to high-speed gigabit internet access in every home; educational and training facility; and business of the City is a public necessity for all residents.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
That the Council hereby requests that the Chief Administrative Officer develop and implement a “Digital Equity Assessment and Plan” to provide equal access to high-speed gigabit internet access to all residents that includes public-private partnerships to effectuate digital equity for residents and business owners in the City in order to close the digital divide in the City by ensuring high-speed gigabit internet access to all underserved residences; educational and training facilities; and businesses.