THE DIGITAL DIVIDE EMILY O'CONNELL
I can guarantee that you have used the internet
The difference in availability of high speed internet
today. Whether it be scrolling through Twitter to
has deepened America’s digital divide. Internet
wake yourself up before your 8:00am, checking the weather to see what season it will be in New Orleans today, or streaming Spotify on the way to class, the internet has become a staple of everyday life. While it may seem like the internet is ubiquitous these days, being online is a luxury that many Americans live without. Rural
Service Providers (ISPs) seek to make a profit and are
not
financially
motivated
to
invest the 1 necessary funds to build the infrastructure needed to bring internet to millions of rural and lowincome Americans. Massive ISPs, like Comcast, AT&T, and Verizon, hold an overwhelming share of
the market, making it difficult for other, local companies to provide broadband for these rural areas.
America has become a broadband desert, with 58% of rural Americans classifying access to high speed internet a problem in their community, compared to 43% of people in urban areas and 1 36% of suburban residents.
The digital divide further alienates rural Americans, low-income households, and people of color by limiting their access to reliable high speed internet. Tribal lands in particular are severely undercovered, with only 47% of Native Americans who live on tribal land having access to high-speed
Income also strongly relates to
internet.
internet availability, which further
3
limits opportunities for low income households.
This disparity has major implications for those who do
Many people, regardless of geographic location, still don’t have internet service simply because they cannot afford to pay the monthly bill. This is a major problem in our own community in New Orleans as well, with the city government reporting a large disparity in Internet access between wealthier areas and low-income areas, revealing that New Orleans ranks among one of 2 the worst connected cities in the US.
not have reliable internet connection, as so much of our life is conducted online. Not only are ISPs denying rural Americans
access
to
entertainment
commonly
associated with the internet like Facebook and Netflix, but they are also limiting their access to national news sources, employment opportunities, and educational resources. The UN has declared Internet access a human right, and many people see it as the new electricity: a service that is a public utility that everone should be able to access.Â
