Travis County and City present 2023 Digital Equity Needs Assessment: cost, skills and mobile access top barriers

Travis County and City of Austin staff presented the 2023 Digital Equity Needs Assessment to the Technology Commission on March 5, describing methods, major findings and a set of policy and program recommendations to improve digital access, devices and skills for historically marginalized communities.

The study, funded in part by Saint David's Foundation, the City of Austin and Travis County, used a mixed methodology with an in‑person survey, community advisory workshops, nonprofit working groups and focus groups ("community circles"). Staff said they prioritized outreach in neighborhoods with higher rates of households without an internet subscription and provided resource packets to participants during data collection.

Key findings

- Cost and affordability: Across focus groups and the survey, cost was the top barrier. Among respondents who did not have home internet, 69% cited price as the primary reason.

- Digital skills demand: Of approximately 1,400 survey respondents, 59% said they would be interested in basic technology skills training for themselves or someone in their household; only…