Loading ...Where Is the Digital Divide Today?
Date: March 22, 2011
.
The new digital divide is about speed and affordability—making clear connections to low income families and programs that serve them.
New analysis by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (see report) underscores what the difference high-speed service can mean for communities, businesses, and individuals. Here is an excerpt:
The nationwide trend toward widespread adoption of broadband Internet connections has occurred among virtually all demographic groups, with nearly universal year-over-year growth. Adoption and growth rates, however, are uneven among various demographic groups. Over the past year, gaps decreased in a number of demographic categories, but persisted with respect to family income, education, age, race/ethnicity, employment status, household type, and disability status. Gender-specific adoption rates remained at virtual parity. The average urban-rural differential narrowed, but a ten-percentage point gap remains. State-specific adoption varied widely. Almost 72 percent of Americans use the Internet at some location, increasing from 68.4 percent twelve months prior. The most popular locations for Internet access outside the home are the workplace and school, followed by public libraries and “someone else’s house.” (Executive Summary)
Affordability is a clear issue for disability and poverty rights groups, like the Coalition for Accessible Telecommunications (COAT) and Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP: see report) and the Joan Ganz Cooney Center’s President and CEO, Gary Knell (see his blog). Affordability was a major theme in the FCC’s report that accompanied the Broadband Plan, “A Giant Leap and a Big Deal”. The American University’s Investigative Reporting Workshop shows the difference that speed can cost (see report). Analyzing broadband speeds and costs per zip codes in the larger Washington metropolitan area reveals that price per megabit is not proportional – the poor pay more per megabit.
Access to high-quality content, for teaching and learning, is a cornerstone in the National Ed Tech Plan. Accessible broadband in various settings is essential to the concept of personalization of learning. Learners need to be able to pursue learning opportunities wherever they find them, to save and return to their work, and connect with others engaged in similar interests. Teachers need to collaborate with peers, join web-based professional development, and have access to ongoing study outlets. The Coalition has written about the importance of the National Ed Tech Plan for adult learners and service providers.
The ability to document the uneven Internet access and broadband access in our communities can boost our efforts to advocate for greater technology infrastructure in our communities and schools. The Department of Commerce recently published a tool that maps broadband speeds and coverage by type of service across the country. See the map, enter the zip code of your program and see the types of analyses that are generated. Adjust the map on broadbandmap.gov to show the type of broadband service available in the area of your program. You can even map your whole community by zip code, showing coverage per neighborhood – and the disparities. Use this knowledge in your grant proposals and outreach to businesses when asking for their support.
Community leaders know that high-speed and high-quality Internet access is critical to their own productivity. Capture their interest by comparing access and quality of broadband between their place of business or home neighborhood and what your program and students are using.
