Maribel Martinez 10/2/23 Maribel Martinez 10/2/23

Will States Use One-Time Federal Funding to Get Digital Inclusion Right?

To kick off Digital Inclusion Week 2023, I share additional thoughts from my panel at #FloridaBroadbandSummit for decision makers across sectors and at all levels who are involved in making use of unprecedented government funding to close the #digitaldivide.

Maribel Martinez 9/7/23 Maribel Martinez 9/7/23

Technology is for Everybody, Especially Seniors

Is the expectation that older adults can adopt the internet and devices realistic? September is Senior Center Awareness Month and thanks to Sarasota County’s Health and Human Services’ Age Friendly Newsletter, we explore this question as well as give advice for caregivers and seniors themselves who are tech-curious on how to start learning about technology.

Maribel Martinez 7/12/23 Maribel Martinez 7/12/23

College Voices Share their Digital Divide Struggles with Florida DEO and the Office of Broadband in Miami

Miami-Dade County had the opportunity to meet with Katie Smith from the Florida Office of Broadband on July 11, 2023 at Miami-Dade College along with Florida’s Department of Economic Opportunity. As expected, internet service providers attended, but the fight for Florida’s digitally equitable future belonged to the younger generation. Among the many stakeholders who were present to hear about plans for Florida’s BEAD and Digital Equity Act funding, local college students turned out to make their experienced voices on the digital divide heard.

Maribel Martinez 5/8/22 Maribel Martinez 5/8/22

Digital Navigator Program Cohorts 1 & 2 Come Together

Through generous support from The Patterson Foundation, Maribel Martinez Consulting continues to build connective tissue in Charlotte, DeSoto, Manatee, and Sarasota counties between six nonprofit organizations working on digital navigation as a strategy to close the digital divide.

Maribel Martinez 5/2/22 Maribel Martinez 5/2/22

The Starfish Analogy

Learn about how the starfish analogy applies to digital equity and how Maribel Martinez Consulting is narrowing the digital divide in one Central Florida community a little bit more on May 7, 2022.

Maribel Martinez 2/2/22 Maribel Martinez 2/2/22

Computers Remain Out of Reach for Millions: Barriers to Computer Adoption

Reasons and circumstances for why people do not own a computer, why computer ownership and training is important for people of all ages, and an overview of recent federal commitments to digital inclusion that may help people acquire a computer for the first time.