Feds, companies work to close digital divide

According to a recent residential broadband survey, 35 percent of all Americans and 17 million U.S. children live without access to broadband service -- and while these statistics are alarming, more companies are pledging assistance and support in an effort to reduce the digital divide. Consumer Broadband Adoption Trends, the survey from high-speed internet access advocacy group Connected Nation, also showed that out of the 17 million U.S. children without broadband, 7.6 million of these are in low-income households. Lack of at-home broadband internet services means no Google, no Wikipedia, no finishing homework assignments, no personalized learning, no Facebooking with friends, and no checking e-mails for many Americans. It also means no equity, and therefore, lowers chances of graduating high school and finding a job. It also slows economic recovery, job growth, and social development. It’s what Connected Nation is calling the “Internet Underclass”—“an impoverished and disconnected population with fewer educational and employment opportunities.”