What is the digital divide?

Angela Siefer, executive director of the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, and Amina Fazlullah, director of equity policy at Common Sense Media, describe what you need to know about the digital divide, its impact throughout the pandemic, and where we might go from here. 

The pandemic raised both the stakes and general understanding of the digital divide, Siefer and Fazlullah explain. With the bulk of day-to-day life moved online for so many people, the digital divide now extends far beyond its previous manifestations. While they've been glad to see local organizations implement stopgap solutions on the fly, they really want to see the federal government step up to the task. Outside of more local solutions, Fazlullah and Siefer note there's been very little support from the federal government, outside of the Emergency Broadband Benefit program.  If there's any silver lining, it's that knowledge of these issues – both for policymakers and everyday folks – won't go away after the pandemic subsides. The pandemic revealed just how many places the digital divide could pop up — be it access to work, school, healthcare, or more — and how detrimental it can be for those living in it, says Fazlullah. In Fazlullah's telling, broadband infrastructure needs to be deployed in a way "that's actually able to meet today's needs and able to be efficiently updated to meet tomorrow's needs as well," which will require the government to update and fund a modernized broadband infrastructure. Siefer has similar visions for a more digitally equitable US in the future. She wants to see federal funding for a permanent broadband benefit, as well as funding for the kind of digital literacy and tech support necessary for actually getting everyone full access to technology and the internet.