Needs Assessment
Welcome! This page offers a curated collection of tools, guides, and best practices to help you conduct a thorough needs assessment for implementing broadband planning and digital literacy programs in community settings.
Whether you're just getting started or refining an existing initiative, these resources are designed to support informed and impactful planning that considers multiple perspectives.
Community engagement and conducting broadband needs assessments
- University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension: Community Engagement for Broadband Planning https://economicdevelopment.extension.wisc.edu/articles/community-engagement-in-broadband-and-digital-equity-planning/
- National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA): "Internet for All Needs Assessment Guide" https://broadbandusa.ntia.doc.gov/sites/default/files/2023-01/IFA_Digital_Equity_Needs_Assessment_Guide.pdf
- University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension: Developing Broadband Surveys and Conversations https://economicdevelopment.extension.wisc.edu/articles/tools-to-inform-broadband-planning-surveys-amp-conversations/
- University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension: Planning community forums https://economicdevelopment.extension.wisc.edu/articles/tools-to-inform-broadband-planning-forums-asset-mapping/
- Penn State: “Community Engagement for Collective Action” https://aese.psu.edu/research/centers/cecd/engagement-toolbox/about/community-engagement-for-collective-action
- Examples of needs assessment data tools:
- Penn State Extension: National Broadband Navigator https://extension.psu.edu/penn-state-national-broadband-navigator
- MOBROADBAND: Broadband Needs Assessment https://mobroadband.org/community-needs-assessment/
- Purdue University: Rural Indiana Stats (RIS) Digital Stress and Digital Divide Index https://pcrd.purdue.edu/ruralindianastats/
- University of Wisconsin-Madison: Government Performance Action & Learning (GPAL) https://gpal.wisc.edu/
Tech needs assessments for groups, collaboration, and collective action
- Northstar: Online, Self-Guided Assessment to Identify Current Skills and Opportunities https://www.digitalliteracyassessment.org/#take-assessment
Tech needs assessments for working with individuals and families
- National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA): "Technology Check-Up Tool" https://www.digitalinclusion.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Tech-Checkup-Tool.pdf
- National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA): Digital Inclusion Bytes: Assessing Household Technology Needs https://www.digitalinclusion.org/blog/digital-inclusion-bytes-assessing-household-technology-needs/
Digital asset mapping
National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA): Asset Mapping for Digital Inclusion https://www.digitalinclusion.org/asset-mapping/
Examples of online needs assessment tools
- Penn State Extension: National Broadband Navigator https://extension.psu.edu/penn-state-national-broadband-navigator
- MOBROADBAND: Broadband Needs Assessment https://mobroadband.org/community-needs-assessment/
- Purdue University: Rural Indiana Stats (RIS) Digital Stress and Digital Divide Index https://pcrd.purdue.edu/ruralindianastats/
- University of Wisconsin-Madison: Government Performance Action & Learning (GPAL) https://gpal.wisc.edu/
Examples, case studies, and reports
- County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania and Penn State Extension: "County Broadband Expansion Report of Survey Findings" https://www.pacounties.org/getmedia/1a24d642-0ab6-4f31-8630-9471fff4f0e4/CountyBroadbandReportFINAL20210716.pdf
University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension: “Willingness to Pay for Broadband Internet” https://economicdevelopment.extension.wisc.edu/articles/willingness-to-pay-for-broadband-internet/
Policy Development - Local Policy Development
Explore a collection of key resources designed to support the development of effective digital literacy policies at the local level. From strategic frameworks to community engagement tools, these materials aim to guide policymakers, educators, and community leaders in crafting accessible and sustainable digital strategies.
- University of Wisconsin-Madison: Organizing for Community Broadband Planning https://economicdevelopment.extension.wisc.edu/articles/organizing-for-community-broadband-planning-3/
- Contact your local, regional, or state Extension office. They may have specialists who can provide direct assistance or connect you with relevant resources. https://extension.org/find-cooperative-extension-in-your-state/
- University of Wisconsin-Madison: ProGov21 Policy Library: Results for “broadband” keyword search https://progov21.org/PolicySearch?keywords=broadband
- National League of Cities: Digital Equity Playbook: How City Leaders Can Bridge the Digital Divide (log-in required) https://www.nlc.org/resource/digital-equity-playbook-how-city-leaders-can-bridge-the-digital-divide?id=4
- National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL): Broadband Legislation Database https://www.ncsl.org/technology-and-communication/broadband-legislation-database
- The Atlas https://the-atlas.com/
- The website states, “The Atlas is a free online community for local government leaders to browse case studies, follow topics, and crowdsource ideas and advice.”
- The Atlas is a Route Fifty community that requires free registration to access advanced features. Accessible at https://www.route-fifty.com/
- Urban Institute: Expanding Digital Opportunity: A Framework and Road Map for Strengthening Digital Inclusion https://www.urban.org/research/publication/expanding-digital-opportunity
- National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA): "Digital Inclusion Coalition Guidebook" https://www.digitalinclusion.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/NDIA_Coalition-Guidebook_vFINAL_RGB.pdf
Policy Evaluation
This section provides a selection of resources to support the evaluation of digital literacy programs and policies at the local level. Whether assessing impact, measuring outcomes, or redefining strategies, these tools are designed to help communities ensure their digital efforts are effective, evidence-based, and responsive to local needs.
Policy evaluation resources
- Benton Foundation and National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA): "Digital Inclusion Outcomes-Based Evaluation" https://www.benton.org/sites/default/files/Digital%20Inclusion%20Outcomes%20Based%20Evaluation%20report.pdf
- Canadian Government: Evaluation of the Digital Literacy Exchange Program (DLEP) https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/audits-evaluations/en/node/223
- The Quello Center at Michigan State University: "Assessing the effects of infrastructure investment and jobs act on high-speed Internet access, digital equity, and community development: Opportunities and challenges of measuring the impact of broadband policy" https://quello.msu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Quello-Center-IIJA-Assessment-Framework-Final-Report-20241018.pdf
- The Quello Center at Michigan State University: "Digital opportunities compass: Metrics to evaluate and guide broadband and digital equity policy" https://quello.msu.edu/digital-opportunities-compass-metrics-to-monitor-evaluate-and-guide-broadband-and-digital-equity-policy/
- Journal of Telecommunications Policy: "Evaluating the impact of broadband access and internet use in a small, underserved rural community" https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308596123000101
Extension programs evaluation
- University of Wisconsin-Madison Cooperative Extension: "Planning a Program Evaluation" https://learningstore.extension.wisc.edu/products/planning-a-program-evaluation-p1033
- American Evaluation Association: Extension Education Evaluation Topical Interest Group https://comm.eval.org/extension_education_evaluation/home
- Extension Foundation: Evaluation Community of Practice (Eval CoP) https://evaluation.extension.org/
- Connect Extension/Extension Foundation: Strategies and Tools for Effective Program Evaluation https://connect.extension.org/blog/strategies-and-tools-for-evaluation
Keeping up with policy
- BroadbandUSA: National Telecommunications and Information Administration https://broadbandusa.ntia.doc.gov/
- National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) https://www.digitalinclusion.org/
- Policy Resources: https://www.digitalinclusion.org/policy/
- Federal Communications Commission https://www.fcc.gov/
- U.S. Department of the Interior: Indian Affairs https://www.bia.gov/service/infrastructure/expanding-broadband-access
- United States Department of Agriculture: Broadband https://www.usda.gov/sustainability/infrastructure/broadband
- FirstNet Authority (Department of Commerce/National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)) https://www.firstnet.gov/
- National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL): Broadband Policy Toolkit https://www.ncsl.org/technology-and-communication/broadband-policy-toolkit
- Benton Institute for Broadband & Society (free, non-partisan broadband policy news and information) https://www.benton.org/