Adoption

The ability of schools across the country to hold classes remotely is being tested as more close in an effort to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. Also being tested: the ability of families to get their homes tech-ready so children can log in to virtual classrooms. More than 23,500 students across 33 campuses of the Northshore School District in suburban Seattle (WA) began joining Zoom or Microsoft Teams meetings with their teachers on March 9 and completing assignments via Google Classroom.

Cities and states with racial disparities in health and economic status face a choice: Let broadband become just another marker of racial inequity, or make the choice to support and empower communities of color through equal access to affordable broadband and the digital skills to use it. Cleveland (OH) is one city where civic leaders and local activists are working to close the race-based digital divide through a mix of innovative solutions and institutional advocacy.

The government is encouraging Americans to respond to this year's census online, prompting concerns that millions who lack internet access may not be properly counted. The problem with "online first," Federal Communications Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel believes, is that the Census Bureau may be underestimating the number of Americans without reliable internet access and could end up stretched too thin to properly count those people. Libraries are working to support the online-first census as part of broader efforts to bridge the digital divide in their communities.

Michigan State University's Quello Center reported this week that middle and high school students with high-speed Internet access at home have more digital skills, higher grades, and perform better on standardized tests, such as the SAT. Regardless of socioeconomic status, students who cannot access the Internet from home or are dependent on a cell phone for Internet access do worse in school and are less likely to attend college or university. The deficit in digital skills contributes to lower student interest in careers related to science, technology, engineering, and math.

This report provides an overview of the digital divide in the Third Federal Reserve District, with a focus on determining which groups stand to benefit the most from a concerted effort toward digital inclusion. The report describes patterns of broadband availability and adoption for the Third District (eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, and Delaware) as a whole, followed by a regional comparison of digital access using a typology of broadband.

Community anchor institutions should be at the center of any comprehensive national strategy to promote the availability and use of High-Performance Broadband. Community anchor institutions use broadband to provide essential services to their community, such as education, information access, and telehealth services. But in the 21st century, community anchors’ missions are moving beyond their walls. Libraries no longer deliver knowledge that is housed only within their buildings or the covers of hardbound books.

Based on 2018 statistics from the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, Cleveland (OH) ranks 33rd in the nation when it comes to completely unconnected households (27.42%), and ranks 33rd when it comes to homes without a wire line (44%). Cincinnati (OH) ranked 158th out of 625. About 17% of households have no broadband of any type. About 30% of households lack a wireline: fiber, cable or DSL. The city ranks 211st when it comes to those metrics. Solving the problem is taking many forms. Local libraries and community organizations offer computer labs and digital literacy training.

Over the past year, Brookings Metro and the National Digital Inclusion Alliance pursued research to understand the connections between broadband and health and equity, assess the gaps in broadband access and adoption, the market and policy barriers that lead to those gaps, and promising points of intervention for local, state, and federal leaders to deliver shared value to individuals and entire communities. If broadband is essential infrastructure, the country’s digital divide confirms the challenges to bringing its benefits to every person, regardless of demographics or geography.

What gets left out of the conversation about 5G is that the service will likely be rolled out the same way as in technologies past — predominantly in wealthier areas.

North Dakota has fostered a tech sector thanks in part to being one of the most connected states in the country — a giant feat considering it’s also one of the most rural. “We realized that for us to be competitive, we had to have that connectivity,” says Doug Burgum, who was president of Great Plains Software when it was bought by Microsoft and is now governor of the state.