The Digital Inclusion Outlook: What It Looks Like and Where It’s Lacking

Digital inclusion efforts need to target the reasons people remain offline, and at this point, the digital divide is more of a problem of adoption than deployment. Successful digital inclusion efforts have a few key things in common: They are flexible and individualized, adhere to consistent high-level standards, and share best practices to minimize waste while adapting programs to meet local needs. Digital inclusion efforts include any of the various attempts to get people online. Low digital literacy rates among the US population and a lack of proper digital-skills institutions make advancing digital literacy a key component of getting people online. At the other end of the scale, digital navigators can help people sign up for low-cost plans or figure out how to navigate an Internet connection. The remaining barriers involve a lack of funding, scale, and reliable data that adheres to high-level standards. Digital inclusion, digital literacy rates, and awareness of low-cost plans are highly interrelated, and gaps fall largely around marginalized groups. Getting people online requires addressing all the sources of the problem individually.