Closing the Digital Divide in Hispanic Communities

The United States recently celebrated Hispanic-American Heritage Month. And as we continue to reflect on the many contributions Hispanic Americans have made to our country, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has been working hard to ensure Hispanics and other minorities are obtaining the digital skills they need to better compete in a global economy that is increasingly reliant on technology.

The latest data, compiled with the help of the US Census Bureau as part of NTIA’s “Digital Nation” series, shows that 63 percent of Hispanic households adopted broadband in the home as of October 2012. This is a significant increase from July 2011 data, which showed that only 56 percent of US Hispanic households had broadband in their homes. The data shows that, while work remains, the nation is making progress in addressing this important issue. With the help of NTIA’s broadband grant program, many Hispanic communities have benefitted from projects aimed at expanding digital literacy and promoting broadband adoption. These include the Learner Web Partnership, which is working with such institutions as South Texas College, where 95 percent of the student body is Hispanic, to provide access to new technologies by opening up computer centers in two heavily Hispanic counties in south Texas.