South Bend Digital Equity Roadmap

DEPARTMENT OF INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY

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connectivity@southbendin.gov

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We believe that digital access and skills are essential to thrive in the modern world. Whether looking for a job, staying connected, learning something new, or finding a favorite song or hobby, residents can gain so much from being able to access and use the internet.

Therefore, we are working to make South Bend a community where all residents have the access and understanding they need to get online. Our driving vision for this work is the pursuit of digital equity.

Digital Equity in South Bend

The National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA), of which South Bend is a proud member, defines digital equity as 

“a condition in which all individuals and communities have the information technology capacity needed for full participation in our society, democracy, and economy. Digital equity is necessary for civic and cultural participation, employment, lifelong learning, and access to essential services.” 

To achieve digital equity, we promote digital inclusion – the activities needed to ensure that everyone has the resources and tools to get online. At the City, we focus on three areas of digital inclusion: 

1. Ensuring residents have access to an affordable, reliable internet connection 

2. Providing residents with affordable, high-quality devices to get online 

3. Empowering residents with the digital skills and literacy necessary to maximize digital resources.

If South Bend is to achieve digital equity, we must continue to make progress in these areas. Looking at rates of broadband (high speed internet) adoption, device ownership, and fiber availability (the fastest type of internet), we fall behind some our peer cities (cities similar to us in terms of their region, size, economy, etc.). These gaps are closing, but there is still significant work to do.

Graph description: This graph shows different levels of digital access and how South Bend compares to five peers: Allentown, PA; Lansing, MI; Evansville, IN; and Fort Wayne, IN. For Households with a Broadband Subscription and Households with a Computing Device, South Bend is comparable with its peers, with 82.2% of households covered by broadband and 90.9% of households having a computing device. As far as Residents with a Fiber Provider, South Bend lags behind Lansing, Allentown, and Fort Wayne, but has slightly better coverage than Evansville.

We are building on positive momentum in our city; since 2015, we have made significant strides in device and broadband access. Through the goals and efforts outlined in this roadmap, we will continue this work to connect all residents in South Bend.

Note: In 2022, the FCC released the National Broadband Map, an improved source for internet deployment data. Moving forward from 2022, we will use Broadband Map data in place of Form 477 data, which often provided an overestimate of residents served by a fiber provider.

Graph description: This graph shows a line chart of Digital Access in South Bend from 2015-2022. In that time range, households with a computing device and households with a broadband subscription have remained at a pretty steady but slight incline. Households with computing devices jumped from 80.5% to 90.9% in the 7-year range, and households with broadband increased from 64.9% to 82.2%. A much more dramatic increase occurred for residents with a fiber provider. With 0% in 2015 and 2016, an increase starts in 2017 with a dramatic jump in 2018, ending up with 48.9% of residents reporting a fiber connection in 2022.

This Roadmap

In this roadmap, we focus on these three areas of digital inclusion: connectivity, devices, and digital skills. 

For each area, we review our current state in South Bend and outline a collection of goals, commitments, ongoing projects, and resources aimed at bridging the digital divide. These goals and resources have been shaped by conversations with residents and community partners, particularly members of the South Bend Connectivity Coalition.

Especially as the federal government begins to spend $65 billion in funding for digital access, we are eager to engage residents in our strategic vision for digital equity in South Bend while promoting new resources residents can take advantage of.  

If you are interested in learning more about our work or sharing your thoughts for a more fully connected community, please contact connectivity@southbendin.gov. 

Please note that this roadmap will be updated regularly to reflect new goals, accomplishments, and resources. 

Resident Resources

Free and Low Cost Internet

Digital Skills Training

Device Access