Civil Rights in Communications – A Movement Still in Motion

[Commentary] Civil rights, particularly in media and telecommunications, do matter.

Despite the nation’s tenuous grip on this delusion of a post-racial utopia, the facts remain. The sizable racial wealth gap continues to rise, while diverse ownership and participation decreases in the traditional and the broadband enabled/high tech communications sector, an industry that touches on one-sixth of our economy. These disparities illustrate that diversity is a crucial policy goal and that access, adoption, and informed use (e.g. digital literacy) of broadband technology is the civil rights issue of the 21st century. Arming individuals with the tools and skills to enable them to use technology to solve problems yields opportunities for individual, community, and societal advancement. It is our duty to the future of this nation to ensure that these tools and skills are available to everyone.