Working to Close the Digital Divide in Silicon Valley

I joined Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker and other Commerce Department leaders in travelling to Silicon Valley to promote the Department’s initiatives to spur US economic growth, innovation, and competitiveness. We’re meeting with leaders of technology powerhouses, fledgling start-ups, and venture capitalists funding the next big idea. Yet, we recognize that not everyone in the region has shared in the wealth created in Silicon Valley.

I had the privilege of meeting with a number of groups including the California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF), the Chicana/Latina Foundation, the Latino Community Foundation, and others that are working tirelessly across the state to close the digital divide. Even as Silicon Valley is experiencing economic growth on the whole, income inequality in the region continues to rise. For instance, African American and Latino residents earn 70 percent less on average than the region’s top earners, the biggest gap ever recorded by the Silicon Valley Index. Computer and Internet training provided by our broadband grant projects offers users 21st century skills that can lead to better employment. While high-speed Internet is widely available throughout Silicon Valley, not everyone has the means or the skills to access it.