Digital Divide

Cartesian is a Boston-based consulting firm that has become a familiar name in the telecommunications world.

A national coalition—including broadband providers and nonprofit organizations—noted that some recipients nationwide of previous broadband grant programs have failed to use their allocations to build out broadband networks. Texas Rural Funders, a nonprofit dedicated to rural philanthropy, took the lead in collecting signatures from Texans.

On February 12, 2024, the Digital Opportunity Department (DOD) of the South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff submitted its Digital Equity Plan to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). This five-year Plan is designed to help bridge the digital divide through enhanced broadband adoption and use. Its goals are to enhance the following:

As implementation of the $2.75 billion federal Digital Equity Act gets underway, state broadband officials and other policymakers are hurrying to put plans in place to measure the impact of these new investments. A key area of focus is digital skills—how to measure the baseline of residents’ current skills, what data digital skills program providers will need to collect and report on, how to set targets for improvement, and more. The field has not yet coalesced around a single list of digital skills that all individuals should possess.

A recent survey revealed that 81 percent of households with schoolchildren receiving a monthly broadband subsidy are worried about the prospect of losing this assistance and its potential effects on their children's education, according to the Universal Service Administrative Company. These metrics “demonstrate with incredible clarity just how important it is to stay connected in modern life and how dangerous it is to threaten disconnection,” said Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.

The American Rescue Plan provided $350 billion to state and local governments. Then we passed the most significant investment in our nation’s infrastructure in generations: roads, bridges, railroads, ports, airports, public transit, clean water, high-speed Internet, and so much more. You know, just like FDR passed the Rural Electrification Act to deliver electricity to nearly every home and farm in America, we’re building affordable high-speed Internet for everyone in America, because the Internet is just as essential today as electricity was then. Last month, I was in Wake County, North Ca

The study, conducted every five years, provides valuable data and insight on internet access and use, devices, digital skills, civic participation, training needs, and safety and security concerns. Results help guide the City and community digital equity programs to serve residents better.

The county government in Livingston, Michigan, was very clear—it was not going to become an ISP.  Long committed to principles of lean government, elected officials were certain that although 56 percent of households in this region do not have access to fixed broadband, the ideal solution should not be government-owned infrastructure. County Chief Information Officer Kris Tobbe set out to develop an approach that could balance minimal government intervention with effective access to critical infrastructure for residents.

Federal Communications Commissioner Geoffrey Starks and Congressional Black Caucus Chair Steven Horsford (D-NV-04) visited the Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority to hear from residents and state and local officials about the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP)’s positive impact on closing the digital divide and the need for Congress to continue the program.

Considering this is the 20th anniversary of State of the Net, I think it’s worth noting one constant: we have had a digital divide that separates the connected haves from the connected have-nots in our country.  Another constant going back decades is a shared recognition that, unless and until we bridge that divide, we will not fulfill the promise of the Internet age for our economy and our society.  In 2024, that digital divide persists. But let me tell you what’s changed.  Like never before, closing America’s digital divide is within our reach.  And that’s not by accident.