Everything – and Everyone – Is Connected

The COVID-19 pandemic brought many of society’s inequities into sharp relief, but arguably none were more exposed than a digital divide that had been growing steadily over three decades – a divide that disproportionately left low-income, minority, and rural Americans without a lifeline as a global crisis unfolded. Digital inclusion issues manifest in several different ways, including inequities tied to infrastructure, devices, affordability, and digital literacy. Aided by funding from federal legislation and other sources, philanthropists across the Southeast are learning how to leverage and even create resources to address the digital divide. For example, in Virginia, the Virginia Funders Network (VFN) has made significant strides to curtail the many facets of the digital divide that exist throughout the Commonwealth. Such strides include a $700 million commitment to broadband funding, the expansion of electric cooperatives into retail broadband, community, and county commitment through innovative programs, and the passage of legislation to encourage greater deployment.