Connectivity Blueprint

The Connectivity Blueprint recommendations and supporting strategies reflect the input and ideas generated at the Digital Inclusion Leadership Summit, a half-day workshop that brought together more than 80 area leaders to hear the lessons of engagement and collaborate on potential solutions. SDK further shaped the ideas into strategies and engaged with the Connectivity Blueprint Steering Committee to invite feedback and finalize direction. The collaborative process is designed to create collaborative and countywide strategies. Ramsey County and Saint Paul will take steps in the months ahead to implement some ideas. Broad implementation and collaboration in bold pursuit of digital inclusion is encouraged.

Build awareness of digital equity as an equity issue, not an infrastructure issue.

Digital equity is the foundation of an equitable future and an inclusive economy. Yet the digital nature of this very topic can make it hard for people with full connectivity to see and understand. Added outreach and public information efforts can both help Ramsey County and Saint Paul leaders better understand the reach and opportunity of digital inclusion for the metro area,and help those without full connectivity to reach much-needed resources.

Take immediate actions to strengthen and grow programs

Ramsey County and Saint Paul are home to a vibrant network of libraries, workforce development centers, nonprofits, schools and others working toward digital inclusion through a variety of projects and programs. Continuing and expanding these programs in tandem with systemic efforts can help ensure momentum built during the pandemic can continue and grow.

Collaborate to maximize federal funding for digital equity in Ramsey County and Saint Paul.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will make unprecedented investments in connectivity beginning in 2023, including Minnesota's first investments in digital equity plans and programs. However, many policy and program rules are designed to address connectivity as an issue of access to wires, which would emphasize expanding broadband infrastructure in rural stretches. This approach could leave Ramsey County, Saint Paul and the thousands of residents facing barriers to digital inclusion behind.

Advance a digital equity policy that makes internet accessible to all

Ultimately, programs alone will not get us to digital equity. There are several opportunities for policy and systems changes – from the organizational policy to state and local government – that can complement successful programs and accelerate digital inclusion.

To our community partners and collaborators, 

Thank you for your commitment to prioritizing digital inclusion as essential to the future of Ramsey County and Saint Paul. Simply put, digital equity is the foundation of an equitable future and an inclusive economy. We can't achieve equity in jobs, health care, education, services and more without also creating a future where everyone has the connections, devices and skills they need to succeed online. 

The pandemic accelerated the movement of opportunities online - and, as a result, accelerated our work toward digital inclusion for the east metro. Today, through the Connectivity Blueprint, we have a clearer picture of the challenges to getting and staying online that can add important understanding as Minnesota crafts its statewide digital inclusion strategy. 

We are grateful to the entire Connectivity Blueprint steering committee, a cross-sector group of leaders from schools, businesses, nonprofits and philanthropy. The breadth and reach of these leaders illustrate the far-reaching impact and consequences of digital inequities. We hope that the lessons and strategies of the Connectivity Blueprint can now spark action of equal breadth. 

Sincerely, 

Trista MatasCastillo, 
Ramsey County Board of Commissioners 

Nelsie Yang, 
Saint Paul City Council 

To our communities, 

Digital inclusion is the foundation of an equitable future and an inclusive economy. 

This reality is abundantly clear in 2023, after the COVID-19 pandemic shone an undeniable light on the Saint Paul and Ramsey County households that lacked access to fast, reliable internet and the devices needed to reach online opportunities. Our first partnership in 2020 distributed Techpaks that included hot spots for internet connections and internet-ready devices to Ramsey County and Saint Paul households struggling to get online in the move to online school, work and more. 

Our collaboration taught us three important lessons: 

1. The world has gone digital. From jobs to school to health care and more, the future belongs to those with the tools and skills to succeed online.

2. Device and subscription giveaways alone will never get us to a digitally inclusive Ramsey County and Saint Paul.

3. Collaboration is essential for success when faced with challenges as complex as achieving digital equity.

From these lessons, the Connectivity Blueprint was born. We've been grateful to work with an enthusiastic and empowered Connectivity Blueprint Steering Committee that appreciates the consequences and urgency of digital inclusion. Added collaborations with community-based organizations and the consulting team have helped ensure that the Connectivity Blueprint is grounded in the experiences of people facing barriers to digital inclusion first-and-foremost. 

Our hope is that the findings and strategies in the pages that follow can provide a blueprint for everyone working on digital inclusion in Ramsey County and Saint Paul. The stories and data compiled by SDK offer information to look at digital inclusion from a community­-first perspective. And the recommendations are meant to offer a mix of turn-key ideas and broad-based strategies that can get us all closer to digital inclusion. 
We're grateful for your interest in the Connectivity Blueprint, and look forward to ongoing community partnerships in pursuit of digital inclusion as the foundation of an equitable future and an inclusive economy. 

Sincerely, 

Ling Becker, 
Director, Ramsey County Workforce Solutions 

Drew Nelson, 
Deputy Director, Saint Paul Office of Technology and Communications

• Ling Becker, Ramsey County Workforce Development Director, Co-Chair.
• Drew Nelson, Saint Paul Office of Technology and Communications Deputy Director, Co-Chair.
• Catherine Penkert, Saint Paul Public Libraries, prior Co-Chair.
• Josh Anderson, North Saint Paul School District.
• ldrissa Davis, Saint Paul Public Schools.
• Chetan Genatra, Ramsey County.
• Jon Grebner, Office of Mayor Melvin Carter.
• Mary Sue Hansen, Suburban Ramsey Family Collaborative.
• Megan Jekot, Saint Paul Promise Neighborhood.
• Tiffany Kong, Saint Paul and Minnesota Foundation.
• Pamela Maldonado, Community Action Partnership of Ramsey & Washington Counties.
• Commissioner Trista MatasCastillo, Ramsey County.
• John McCarthy, Saint Paul.
• John Perlich, Saint Paul Chamber.
• Ellen Roster, Saint Paul College.
• Rebecca Ryan, Saint Paul Public Library.
• Tiffany Scott-Knox, Wilder Foundation.
• Nelsie Yang, Saint Paul City Council.

Agency staff

• Selena Rosario, Ramsey County Digital Equity Fellow.
• Katie Anne Wojchik, Ramsey County Digital Equity Fellow
• Amanda Xiong, Saint Paul Public Libraries.

SDK Communications

• Stephanie Devitt, Project Director.
• Sandy Vargas, Senior Equity Advisor.
• Matthew Rezac, Design.
• Nyemadi Dunbar, Outreach.
• Jim Schueneman, Outreach.
• Dave Jarnstrom, Copywriting.
• Ellie Highstreet, Event Management.

AppGeo

• Priya Sankalia, Project Manager.
• David Breeding, Mapping.
• Kaiya Weatherby, Mapping.
• Bill Johnson.

Community partners

• Saint Paul Promise Neighborhood.
• Hallie Q. Brown.
• CLUES.
• Saint Paul Public Library.
• Ramsey County Opportunity Center.
• Dorothy Day Shelter.
• Ramsey County Department of Corrections.
• Neighborhood House.