The Digital Divide May Be News, But It’s Not New

Low-income Americans; Black, Hispanic and Native Americans; the elderly; Americans with a high school education or less; and rural Americans are much more likely to be on the wrong side of the digital divide. Ours remains a nation where too many people, often our most vulnerable citizens, are unconnected or under-connected. The digital divide may have made the news during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it isn’t new. For much of the past quarter-century, [too many] Washington policymakers have ignored the digital divide. In more recent years, some public officials, for political reasons, have identified the digital divide as primarily a rural issue, noting that approximately 5 million rural American households can’t access broadband networks. In reality, the number of rural households that can’t access broadband is dwarfed by the roughly 20 million American households that can’t afford internet access, and that number almost certainly has increased as a result of the pandemic. Today, Washington finally seems willing to engage in addressing the digital divide. What we need now are not the patchwork solutions of the past, but a thoughtful, fully funded, comprehensive effort to ensure broadband connectivity for all Americans. How can we bridge the digital divide, thoughtfully and effectively? Map availability and affordability. Redefine ‘broadband’ to 100/100. Modernize and adequately fund connectivity programs. Use public spaces to improve accessibility. 

[Larry Irving is the former assistant secretary of commerce for communications and information and administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and is the president and CEO of the Irving Group.]