Why I Believe HBCUs Are The Change Agents We Need For Affordable And Accessible Broadband

Many Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are located in rural areas and blighted urban centers. These are the same places where large communities of color struggle with access to health care and face innumerable obstacles to access affordable and reliable broadband. But in the wake of COVID-19, HBCUs nationwide have stepped in to provide life-saving solutions to Black and brown communities disproportionately impacted by the virus.  Given their ability to assist with community data collection and analysis, HBCUs may be the change agents we so desperately need in the fight for universal broadband access and adoption in some of the most disconnected communities. HBCU partnerships could help improve broadband data collections in order to identify which residents actually have access to broadband and which still do not. Serious improvements in broadband mapping are needed to solve crippling inequities in broadband access. Flawed data sets from communities of color, as well as rural and urban communities, continue to impact the level of broadband connectivity available to those who need it most.

[Brittany-Rae Gregory is the Communications Director for Next Century Cities]