Digital Divide

I have a difficult time remembering what it was like before I had access to the internet. So much of my work and life depends on it that it is hard to imagine life without it. Increasingly more and more of daily life takes place online. Being online is no longer a luxury; in many cases proficiency using the Internet is vital for education and employment opportunities. Social networking appears to be an imperative cultural norm and it seems every product and service has a website, Facebook page, Twitter feed, etc.  It sometimes feels as if everyone is “on-line;” however, access and use is far from universal.

The reality is that there are many people around the world and in the U.S who do not have access at all or reliable access to the internet. Those individuals using dial-up access or who lack any means of connectivity are at risk of falling behind, missing out on educational and employment opportunities, not to mention being out of step with the rest of society. This infographic 2012 Digital Divide Statistics breaks down some of the stats for the U.S. The last item mentioned on the list is the National Broadband Plan or NBP.  I wrote a paper on it in 2011 and I will share some excerpts here.

"NBP was a requirement of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) was tasked by Congress to develop a plan to “ensure that every American has access to broadband capability.” Broadband is seen as a primary tool that is required for Americans to succeed and be competitive with the rest of the world. The only way to ensure that all citizens have access to broadband is with government assistance

Communication technology is essential for dissemination of information and to advance economic growth in the country. With broadband we are in the midst of the next technological leap forward.  The NBP lists the numerous advantages of broadband. It can overcome geographical and financial barrier to provide a wide range of educational, cultural and recreational opportunities and resources. 

The National Broadband Plans contains numerous recommendations to ensure universal access and use, but there are six core, long-term goals that the FCC will track over the next ten years to gauge progress. These goals are 1) 100 million U.S. homes with affordable access, 2) for the U.S. to lead the world in mobile innovation, with the fastest and most extensive wireless network, 3) affordable access to robust broadband service and the skills to use it, 4) every community to have affordable access to no less than 1 gigabit per second service broadband at anchor institutions such as schools, hospitals, and government buildings, 5) first responders to have access to a nationwide, wireless, interoperable broadband public safety network, and 6) the ability of every American to use broadband to track and manage real time energy use."

At the time of NBP's adoption there were approximately 100 million Americans without broadband access. That is about one third of the U.S. population. Of those 14 million did not have access to broadband infrastructure.  In addition it was found that most adults without broadband access were generally older, poorer, less educated, and more likely to be a racial or ethnic minority or disabled.

While I found the numbers quite astonishing I was not surprised by the characterization of those lacking access. It is the same story we hear time and again. When there is disparity it is often these groups who bear the brunt of it.

This plan was a great step in the right direction. There was some criticism at the time of adoption that it was not enough, but at least it was something. In the first year the plan was on schedule. Since then it appears to have stalled a bit with some wondering if the plan should be scrapped Do we need a new National Broadband Plan?  The problems are some of the same with any huge project: money and an inability to agree on how best to proceed. Should they continue to build upon old technology or base the upgrades on new technology? 

While the powers that be continue to hash out these issues we are left with a significant portion of our population that is without reliable or even any access to the internet. If you are interested in tracking the progress of the NBP then check out this site Implementing the National Broadband Plan, administered by the Benton Foundation. 

Resources


2012 Digital Divide Statistics Inforgraphic, AnsonAlex.com, 6 Feb 2012
Do we need a new National Broadband Plan? Matthew Laser, arstechnica.com, 27 July 2012
Implementing the National Broadband Plan, Benton Foundation, benton.org
National Broadband Plan 
National Broadband Plan: One Year Progress Report
“One Year Later.” Jamie Barnett, Blogband, 16 March 2011