Why digital human capital is important in community building

The pandemic revealed gaping disparities in broadband access and use in urban neighborhoods and rural communities alike. Historic broadband investments are now being made through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), with states setting priorities in consultation with local governments. Also momentous is the IIJA’s emphasis on broadband use as well as broadband networks, with requirements for affordability, and funding for subscriptions, devices, training, and support. As state and local governments develop their new broadband plans, they have an opportunity to do more than build new networks. Providing fast and reliable broadband is only a first step; as policymakers need to think holistically about how to achieve widespread and inclusive technology use—enhancing not just infrastructure, but the digital human capital to use it in both urban and rural communities. Making new investments can generate significant benefits for local economies, according to our recent research. In what economist Enrico Moretti has called the human capital century, individual and community fortunes are driven by human capital, which is often defined as educational attainment. We argue that broadband use is a form of digital human capital. Like education, broadband use can facilitate access to information and the development of skills. As with other forms of human capital, broadband use can also be expected to affect outcomes for the broader community, with multipliers and spillover effects for labor markets and local institutions, and richer information networks to encourage innovation.

[Karen Mossberger is Director of the Center on Technology, Data and Society and Frank and June Sackton Chair at the School of Public Affairs at Arizona State University. Caroline Tolbert is Professor and Lowell G. Battershell Distinguished Chair at the Political Science Department at the University of Iowa. Scott LaCombe is Assistant Professor of Government and Statistical and Data Sciences at Smith College.]