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Developing Your Action Plans The Broadband and Digital Equity Action Plans will provide local frameworks for communities to ensure that meaningful broadband access, adoption, and ap- plication is available to everyone. While broadband and digital equity planning each have distinct components, they should be viewed as comple- mentary efforts aimed at the core objective of closing the digital divide. As the BEAD program highlights, suc- cessful infrastructure deployment requires that all com- munities can meaningfully adopt and use high-speed internet services, particularly those that have histori- cally been excluded from access, such as communities of color, Tribal nations, rural areas, and lower-income areas. To support this alignment, we recommend that the planning efforts are closely coordinated. Aligning Broadband And Digital Equity Plans This Workbook and the included planning templates are designed to support distinct, yet coordinated planning processes. The Broadband and Digital Equity Action Plans may be led by different working groups, or separate entities, but should regularly coordinate and provide updates through a central process, most likely the local Broadband Action Team. Unified Plan Components To facilitate this coordination, both plans should share an executive summary and a general overview that in- cludes unified vision, goals, and objectives. Each plan will then identify specific needs, assets, gaps, obstacles, and paths forward. Between the two plans, there should collectively be priorities, activities, and strategies, ensuring that each of the stated goals and objectives is addressed by at least one, if not both, of the plans. Coordination Between Teams If the Broadband and Digital Equity Action Plans are developed by different teams or lead entities, there are several recommendations to support ongoing collaboration: →Include at least one member from Broadband Action Plan Team on the Digital Equity Action Plan Team and vice versa →Establish a clear process to share information and updates between planning teams →Ensure that Broadband and Digital Equity planning progress is shared during BAT Meetings For participating Tribes, the section on Building and Strengthening your BAT and associated Worksheets may not be directly relevant, but could provide useful information. WRITING BROADBAND ACTION AND DIGITAL EQUITY PLANS 14 Washington Spotlight: Nearly 700 homes and businesses in rural Pomeroy, Washington have access to high-speed broad- band since the Port of Garfield completed its fiber-to-the-home project in 2021. Previously, most of Garfield County was limited to aging copper systems that exceeded the distance limitations for all except the slowest DSL services.