Enduring Problem Needs Enduring Solution

CCM and Dalio Education team up on study with unsurprising outcomes

It is clear that most Connecticut residents would agree that there are disparities in student access to learning tools that have become urgently needed during the pandemic. A report commissioned by the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities and Dalio Education, written and researched by John Horrigan of the Technology Policy Institute, shows that the problem is most acute in Connecticut’s cities – disproportionately impacting communities of color, students, and older adults.

“We have known for a while that the digital divide is a real problem in Connecticut, this report puts a fine point on two key issues that haven’t gotten as much attention,” said Joe DeLong, CCM’s Executive Director.

“This problem is felt most acutely in our cities, and it disproportionately impacts communities of color,” he continued, “Given the changes the pandemic has made us adapt to, it is not an exaggeration to say that this is a crisis that must be addressed and addressed now in a way that is enduring and statewide.”

One key finding was that around 23% of Connecticut residents do not subscribe to broadband internet. The report found that an even higher 38% of households in major urban areas such as Hartford, New Haven, Waterbury, New Britain, and Bridgeport do not subscribe to high-speed internet.

Looking at the numbers more closely, the report found that across the state, 35% of Hispanics and 34% of Black residents do not subscribe, and 36% of those below the state’s median income lack home subscriptions.

“The stories we started hearing back in March when schools were closed were heartbreaking,” said Barbara Dalio, Founder and Director of Dalio Education. “A single mother working two nursing shifts, then coming home at 11 o’clock, piling her children into a car and driving to a McDonald’s parking lot so the kids could access a Wi-Fi hotspot to try and do their homework. Other kids alone at home, isolated, because their day care center was shut down, adults unable to go online to search for a job or file for unemployment benefits because their Internet connection was inadequate.

“We were proud to work with state leaders to contribute more than $19 million to purchase 60,000 laptops and provide child care for some of our health care workers, and thanks to a creative collaboration with Joe, CCM, and local foundations we were able to provide city wide access to Wi-Fi in Hartford and Norwalk. But this crisis is beyond what any one philanthropic organization can address.”

In that regard, there are comparisons to the Rural Electrification Act of 1936. At the time, certain areas, primarily rural farming communities, were not connected to any sort of electrical grid because of the costs associated with generating power and transferring it to remote areas.

The act enabled the federal government to step in and “make loans for rural electrification and the furnishing of electric energy to persons in rural areas,” according to the LivingNewDeal.Org. In the same way that this bill fostered the will to electrify America, there is a need for the State or Federal Government to step in and get high speed broadband internet to these remaining households.

And though the focus was on school children during this difficult time, the report showed that inequities in access to broadband will have implications in nearly every regard. Many adults that do not have access to internet will not be able to look for jobs meaningfully when their lifelines like the public library or local coffee shop are closed, and those laid off from their jobs might have difficulty in applying for unemployment benefits.

“More needs to be done for an enduring statewide solution,” DeLong said, “Government needs to step in here and make the kind of investment in our digital infrastructure that will permanently level the playing field – for our students and their parents.”

This crisis is too urgent to be swept under the rug or pushed to another time. It is not a new problem that Connecticut is facing, and in fact it is not a problem that Connecticut is facing alone but solving it will take new ideas. The COVID-19 pandemic will not be a permanent situation, but the losses faced by those that fall through the cracks now will. This could be a oncein-a-lifetime opportunity to eliminate the digital divide in Connecticut and beyond.