March 17, 2024
Digital technology and the internet has become integral to modern life, influencing education, employment and overall societal participation. Nonetheless, a significant digital divide still exists in the United States.
The digital divide is the gap between people who have access to technology and those who do not.
According to surveys conducted by the Pew Research Center, in 2021, 7% of Americans do not use the internet. As of last year, 23% did not have access to broadband connections.
Since people depend heavily on technology, those who are out of touch with it, cannot access it because of their rural location or cannot afford it are seriously disadvantaged.
Among these affected groups are students. During the Covid-19 pandemic, schools across the country had to rely on the internet to stay connected with students. While this allowed some students to continue receiving an education, those with unreliable or nonexistent internet could not continue their learning.
After the pandemic, schools continued to rely on online applications like Google Classroom, along with online tools like EdPuzzle, Gimkit and Kahoot. This is a major problem for students who still do not have reliable internet access.
A video by the media company Freethink highlights this issue by depicting the challenges of Jeff Wiggins and his eight-year-old son, who live outside of Columbus, Ohio. The location of their home puts them out of range of service for the major internet providers in their area. Therefore, when schools were closed during the pandemic, they had to drive long distances in search of a stable internet connection.
The digital divide does not just impact students. According to a 2021 study by the Pew Research Center, 43% of adults whose household income is less than $30,000 per year do not have access to broadband at home.
The digital divide is the gap between people who have access to technology and those who do not.
Being without internet makes it more difficult to rise out of poverty.
According to the National Skills Coalition, 92% of jobs now require digital skills to some extent, and workers can earn 23% more in a job that requires a digital skill as opposed to one that does not.
The digital divide in the United States can also be traced to internet service providers, also known as ISPs.
Companies looking for profit have little opportunity in lower-income areas compared to more densely populated and higher-income towns and cities, according to The [F]law, an online legal magazine.
Therefore, ISPs and the government must make more effort to close the digital divide.
ISPs should make internet access more cost-effective for low-income individuals as, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, nearly a third of Americans do not have a broadband connection because of its high price.
ILLUSTRATION BY ALEX SKOWRONSKI
Fortunately, the government has started to address this issue. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has used its ReConnect program to give grants and loans to broadband providers to expand into rural areas. Additionally, in June 2023, the White House divided $42 billion among the nation’s 50 states and U.S. territories with the goal of making access to high-speed broadband internet universal by 2030.
Tech investor Elon Musk and other businesspeople are also attempting to help with Starlink, a satellite network service that uses thousands of satellites in low orbit to provide internet to people in select regions in the United States, Canada and abroad.
Starlink is a great idea because it is an easier way for the internet to reach people in rural areas for a cheaper price. While it is still experimental, Starlink is likely to improve and can be a good alternative for people who cannot access or afford regular broadband services.
Addressing the digital divide in the United States is not merely a technological imperative but a reflection of the country’s fundamental commitment to equality, justice and societal progress.
An internet connection is a necessity, which is why every American deserves access to it.
