The digital divide: Rural vs. urban

There is a persistent and well-known gap between rural and urban populations in terms of their internet usage. But when you look at sheer numbers, the number of unconnected urban/metro-area users is far larger than the number in rural areas—which has policy implications for how funds should be used to actually connect Americans who do not have home broadband service. According to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the gap between internet usage for urban and rural users has remained remarkably consistent for at least as long as NTIA has been gathering data. Since 1998, there has been a persistent 6-9% gap in internet usage between rural users and urban users, even as the overall percentage of the population using the internet has gone up. That may have narrowed a bit more in the past couple of years, but it’s still there. Census Bureau data from 2021 found that about 81% of rural households are plugged into broadband, compared with about 86% in urban areas. The NTIA concludes: “These results suggest that multiple strategies are necessary to stimulate greater adoption of the Internet, including subsidy programs such as the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), the Digital Equity Act, and other initiatives to increase digital skills, equip people with suitable devices, and ensure important online services are accessible to all."