NORTH CONWAY, N.H — Digitunity, a national nonprofit advancing digital opportunity through computer ownership, has released a new case study detailing the urgent need for personal computers in rural Arizona and the steps local communities are taking to address it.
Developed in partnership with Chicanos Por La Causa (CPLC) and supported by AT&T, the case study captures findings from recent focus groups, data analysis, and a 200-computer distribution initiative across San Luis and Miami, Arizona. The report surfaces systemic challenges to computer ownership, including limited access points, affordability, and gaps in digital skills, and demonstrates the impact of community-informed solutions grounded in trust, local leadership, and practical infrastructure. The case study captures project activities through January 2025.
Across Arizona, 342,248 households (11.7% of all households) do not own a large-screen computer. Without one, families have limited access to digital opportunities in education, employment, healthcare, and civic life.
In towns including Miami, Nogales, San Luis, and Superior, nearly one in three households lack a large-screen computer. The need is particularly acute among older adults and families in low-income and multilingual communities. Focus group participants shared their experiences navigating limited library hours for computer access, slow or unreliable internet service, and the need for ongoing digital skills training and support.
This case study draws on insights that Digitunity has gained from its broader rural work, and is intended to offer a deeper understanding of how to design solutions that enable long-term computer ownership.
Digitunity is a national nonprofit organization with a mission to make owning a computer possible for everyone. For over 40 years, Digitunity has been engaged in the work of shaping and strengthening systems to address computer ownership among those impacted by the digital divide.
Through generating and placing donated computers with organizations serving people in need, supporting a national practitioner network, and providing strategic advisory support to states and cities, Digitunity works to create sustainable solutions that make computer ownership possible for all.
