San Antonio's own District 4 Councilmember, Dr. Adriana Rocha Garcia, has been tapped to head up the Federal Communications Commission's Digital Literacy Best Practices Working Group. According to a San Antonio government announcement, in her inaugural FCC Intergovernmental Advisory Committee meeting, the Councilmember was appointed to lead the charge on boosting digital literacy skills across the States.
Dr. Garcia, who shared her comments with the City of San Antonio, expressed her white-hot commitment to driving up digital literacy rates in the face of the winding down Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). "As the ACP winds down, we must ensure communities impacted by the digital divide continue to have access to affordable internet service so that we can increase digital literacy rates," Garcia stated. She has plans to fuel efforts to connect with seniors and individuals with different abilities, aiming to bridge the technological chasm that divides them from the rest of society.
The Working Group is not just another think tank — they're positioned as guidance for local, state, and tribal governments on employing FCC programs to craft a path to digital proficiency for their communities. These are the crucial programs meant to get under-connected Americans up to speed in an increasingly digital world. Among their tasks, Garcia's group will be dissecting the current Universal Service programs for potential improvements.
Tackling the digital divide is no small feat. The DLBP Working Group, under Dr. Garcia's leadership, carrying the lone star of Texas presence in the 30-member IAC, will be hunting down regulatory barriers and seeking out public-private partnership opportunities, having been selected by IAC Chair Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II of Michigan. As reported by the San Antonio government release, they will be laser-focused on communities with limited access, as Garcia puts it, indexing expert discussions on how to ensure that no one is left behind in the race towards a digitally literate society.
