Specifications include, but are not limited to: Project Context: On September 1, 2022, the SCAG Regional Council adopted Resolution Number 22-646-6, in support of a “Digital Equity Call for Action” to initiate work to promote the ACP campaign. To provide access to affordable internet to unserved and underserved areas across the region, SCAG is partnering with the California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF) to leverage and bolster the existing campaign for the ACP. SCAG seeks to explore opportunities to support the promotion of the ACP in alignment with SCAG’s Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) reduction goals and equity commitments, as established in SCAG’s commitment to racial equity in its July 2020 Resolution and the adopted Racial Equity Early Action Plan. Additionally, this project supports regional transportation planning through data collection and program creation to support the implementation of SCAG’s adopted Connect SoCal. This pilot is also in support of SCAG’s “Go Human Evolution” project. The “Go Human Evolution” project provides a framework for leveraging Go Human’s successful community engagement strategies across a variety of programmatic areas, extending beyond active transportation and mobility justice and into areas related to housing, broadband, and other key planning areas. This program is intended to serve as a pilot for how to leverage Go Human’s strategies in this programmatic area. Given the timeliness of this issue and potential overlapping partners through Go Human (transit providers, cities, schools, housing developers, CBOs), these pilot efforts allow SCAG to operationalize Go Human tactics, such as co-branded advertisements, demonstrations, community ambassadors, etc., to other planning and policy issues. This program shall incorporate a direct planning element in the engagement in addition to general outreach for the ACP, including collecting survey data to inform regional broadband planning. While the goal of the ACP is to provide underserved communities access to the internet, signing up for the ACP program requires a household to apply via the internet. This presents a challenge as those without access do not have the ability to sign up. Further, Internet Service Provider (ISP) outreach has been challenging as there are not adequate resources available to assist households. Additionally, language barriers present a challenge as outreach is not accessible in multiple languages. This program aims to close these gaps and provide direct resources to communities via the creation of a Go Human ACP Local Toolkit, referred to as “Toolkit”. The program will develop a Toolkit and provide direct support to up to three (3) target communities in the SCAG region to implement the Toolkit strategies, led by local “Digital Ambassadors”. The Toolkit will also serve as a resource to eligible areas more broadly, promoted through targeted outreach and partner engagement.
