June 22, 2023

Help is coming for the estimated 15 percent of Sioux Falls households that lack home internet access or a mobile device.

The Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation is investing $50,000 to advance the city’s digital equity through an effort led by South Dakota Voices for Peace. The nonprofit will help enroll low-income households in the Affordable Connectivity Program, a federal initiative that provides eligible households a discount of up to $30 a month toward internet service and a one-time $100 voucher to use toward the purchase a laptop, desktop computer or tablet.

The local group Connect Sioux Falls has formed to advance digital equity and digital literacy.

“Those in our community who lack access to the internet also lack access to opportunities. As a community, we have a collective responsibility to help solve this challenge,” said Patrick Gale, who serves as the Community Foundation’s vice president for community investment. “So we’re proud to support this effort with a grant from our Community Fund, and we look forward to seeing the impact of this investment in the months and years to come.”

Connecting residents with internet service also will help support job training and access to health care resources, he said.

South Dakota Voices for Peace plans to add a digital equity navigator to its team, executive director Taneeza Islam said.

That person “will focus entirely on helping our community’s most vulnerable enroll in this important program that will no doubt impact economic and social success for generations to come.”

Islam estimated nearly 25,000 households throughout Sioux Falls are eligible to participate in the program; however, only 18 percent of those have enrolled so far.

The new investment will extend an awareness and enrollment campaign for the Affordable Connectivity Program that began earlier this year. In partnership with Connect Sioux Falls, the Sioux Falls School District, Caminando Juntos and The Teddy Bear Den, South Dakota Voices for Peace enrolled nearly 200 households in the program in the first five months of the year.

Learn more about eligibility requirements and how to enroll in the Affordable Connectivity Program by clicking here.