A needs assessment produced by Digital Marin identifies West Marin as part of the county’s “digital divide” and outlines the barriers and steps to increasing internet access countywide.
The report, released Aug. 6, reflects community outreach conducted by local groups and by Digital Marin, created in 2019 after a civil grand jury report called on Marin to create a plan for digital infrastructure.
The report found that Marin needs more broadband access, affordable internet service and devices, communication networks that are resilient and reliable during emergencies, digital literacy, data sharing across agencies, and trust in digital resources. The report states the county “lacks the comprehensive, coordinated approach needed for all residents to achieve a baseline level of digital competency” through digital literacy training programs.
Within the county, some areas and groups fare worse than others in terms of access. Five geographical areas—the Canal neighborhood in San Rafael, Marin City, two areas in Novato, and West Marin—were identified as representing Marin’s digital divide: “the economic, educational, and social inequalities between those who have computers and online access and those who do not have it.”
The report identifies other groups of residents who frequently experience a digital divide—Marin’s older adults and people with disabilities. Although these groups are not geographically concentrated, West Marin is older than the rest of the county.
There are various reasons why residents experience the divide, the report states, including the inability to afford internet service, a lack of devices to connect to the internet, low digital literacy levels, language and other accessibility barriers, and mistrust or misunderstanding of the benefits of being online.
“Even when service is available and affordable, these residents often face other challenges and require intentional, targeted efforts to help them bridge the digital divide,” the report states.
To mitigate these issues, the report recommends digital literacy training programs. Survey respondents across Marin stressed that digital literacy training needs to be tailored to the audience and consistent in quality and standards.
Yet low response rates for Digital Marin’s surveys may illustrate the problem the group is seeking to remedy, and West Marin had the lowest household response rate, with only 55 responses out of 1,400 residents contacted by postcard or email.
But previous efforts by the Bolinas-Stinson Union School District Connectivity Committee to understand the digital access challenges of its families aided the report. The committee created online surveys sent by email and text to contacts drawn from the school’s distribution list. Outreach sessions were held at a local park during weekly community soccer games, and one-on-one follow-ups were done by committee members and parents. Surveys were available in English and Spanish. The text surveys were important, as was the Spanish version, committee member Chloe Sladden said.
“We did all the footwork ourselves to get the vast majority of our school families to share their needs and internet status,” she said, adding that the committee was “happy to share our findings” with Digital Marin.
The survey showed that 75 percent of the families did not have access to reliable broadband internet and that none of the Spanish-speaking families had access. There are an average of .6 computers per household in Bolinas and Stinson Beach.
Digital Marin’s report recommends further assessment efforts in West Marin, as well as in four specific areas: students, the business community, nonprofits and community-based organizations and recipients of health and community-based organization services. Ultimately, the report will serve as the foundation for the development of a digital infrastructure strategic plan.
Bringing better internet service to West Marin has been a focus for years. Nicasio has a completed broadband project, and efforts are in the works in Bolinas and Stinson Beach.
The county is working with the state to implement a middle mile network, funded by Senate Bill 156. The network is proposed to run along Highway 1 and provide a backbone for increased or improved internet service to households and businesses.
Digital Marin’s needs assessment report is available online at godigitalmarin.org. Feedback can be sent to [email protected].