History

As government services, social and civic connections, financial services, educational resources, and workforce opportunities increasingly move online, our suburban Cook County communities face a range of challenges. Those challenges include finding quality, affordable broadband internet service; obtaining usable, supported devices; and building the skills and confidence needed to navigate the internet safely and meaningfully. 

Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle began addressing the need for digital equity solutions well before the COVID-19 pandemic, recognizing the power of digital inclusion to advance economic, workforce, and educational efforts. Her Cook County is a diverse, vibrant ecosystem that includes Chicago’s thriving urban environment as well as 70,000 acres of forest and a variety of municipalities in between. It is the most populous county in the state, with over five million people—40% of Illinois residents—living within its borders. Cook County faces a range of technology access challenges-- and with this plan, has a unique opportunity to come together to build a bright and equitable digital future for all. Cook County Digital Equity Plan 12 focus on digital equity is reflected in the Cook County Equity Fund, which was established by her office in 2020 to intentionally address racial equity in the county. She established the Council on Digital Equity (CODE), a group of local and national advisors who give expertise and guidance as Cook County acts on these issues. President Preckwinkle also developed a partnership with PCs for People Illinois, a group that works to close the digital divide in suburban Cook County and the surrounding areas through its Oak Lawn retail, e-recycling, and refurbishing center. 

As the need for digital equity solutions became even more clear during the COVID-19 pandemic, Cook County’s communities mobilized to support each other. Building on the foundation created by President Preckwinkle, Cook County’s digital equity leaders got children laptops for school, created awareness of discounted internet programs, and helped each other navigate new technologies to get us through the pandemic. 

In 2022, Cook County was named one of the Top Ten Digital Counties nationwide by the Center for Digital Government. President Preckwinkle brought on Kyla Williams Tate, a veteran in the digital equity field, as Cook County’s first Digital Equity Director. Director Williams Tate started just in time to lead efforts related to federal stimulus packages, including the American Rescue Plan and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. These packages include more than $65 billion for broadband and digital equity investments nationwide. 

President Preckwinkle's Council on Digital Equity (CODE) represents an official cohort in the Cook County digital ecosystem. CODE is comprised of local members and senior advisors from around the U.S. who provide expertise and guidance as Cook County takes action to address digital inequities. From mid-April to late July 2023, the County convened a representative Guiding Team, a subcommittee of CODE, to advise on the community engagement strategy, engage various constituencies, and host a series of in-depth, highly personalized community conversations throughout Cook County. The Guiding Team met ten times: eight times virtually and twice in person. Together, the County designed Guiding Team meetings to foster trusting relationships among guiding team members and County staff, gather insights into how this issue impacts their constituents, and co-create strategies to best engage residents during this community engagement phase. The Guiding Team helped the County better understand the challenges and key data around digital equity, started a healthy, trusting ecosystem among stakeholders around the issues, informed a vision for the future, and are now partners in co-creating a plan to execute catalytic projects to achieve our collective mission for digital equity. 

With this Digital Equity Action Plan, Cook County is renewing its commitment and advancing digital equity further than we could during the pandemic. Our commitment to digital equity prioritizes digital accessibility, confidence, and safety alongside access to the internet. Our goal is for all residents to benefit from and contribute to a growing digital economy, regardless of race, geography, ability, or language. 

Cook County can’t do this alone. Lasting, meaningful impact is rarely achieved by government alone. As we articulate our commitments with this plan, we are also seeking committed partners to shape and implement the initiatives included here. Our intention is to build from the firm foundation already created by the dedication and leadership of suburban Cook County's residents and organizations and to formalize and invest in these partnerships to knit together our digital equity ecosystem. 

This moment in time is critical as federal and state governments plan for the distribution of $65 billion in broadband and digital equity funding set aside in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021. States will release their digital equity plans in late 2023 and early 2024, and will then focus on implementing plans through grants and investments. Making sure these grants and investments go to those who need them most is part of Cook County’s commitment to digital equity.