Underestimating the Digital Divide

It is pretty obvious that there is a digital divide between our country. A digital divide, according to Whatis.com, “is a term that refers to the gap between demographics and regions that have access to modern information and communications technology, and those that do not or have restricted access”. It is mostly common for the digital divide occur between people in cities and people in rural areas. In the article it points out how poor people in rural areas are more likely to no be connected. These people do not have access to high speed internet. There have been things that try to help advocate for these people like local funding, use of federal dollars, research, and other methods. In the article it states that “the FCC approved a 20.4 billion dollar Rural Digital Opportunity Fund to narrow America’s digital gap”. There are many benefits to having a more dependable and better connection. The examples given in the article consist of “better job opportunities for working rural poor, more competition among farmers and the option for kids to have a better education”. There is a risk that if the calculations by the FCC are off that the funding will also be affected.

https://www.citylab.com/equity/2020/02/internet-access-rural-broadband-digital-divide-map-fcc-data/606424/

2 thoughts on “Underestimating the Digital Divide

  1. The digital divide in America is a serious topic that does not get enough discussion. To most students at penn state, internet is viewed as a utility that is available everywhere but to millions that live without it it is a privilege. Not having internet may to most may seem like a problem only third world countries would face it is in fact a real problem facing Americans. A major problem that these citizens have is that the major internet providers don’t see enough profit to invest in more intracity internet networks. Despite this, new innovations in wireless internet and data have allowed companies to attach devises onto silos and radio towers which helps connect rural farmers and communities to the world wide web. These new innovations are very important to greater increasing American productivity and the economy. If innovations in this technology keep up it will not be long before every person in America can log on to the internet from home.

    https://www.fastcompany.com/90459740/the-company-bringing-broadband-to-rural-america

  2. I believe the digital divide in our country is really halting our chance to thrive technologically. This was one of the first topics Professor Pursel discussed in class this semester. Not just in our country, but the rest of the world sees a lack of access to the internet. Even the divide is slowly closing, better procedures can tighten that gap a lot quicker. I found an article detailing some ideas that could help solve this problem.
    Like you said, a lot of this problem can be seen in rural areas and low income urban areas. That means we need to find a way to make internet access more affordable. The article suggests offering subsidies to lower income households to allow them to use it for internet. It is no secret internet makes life easier, so the more people with access the better.
    Another idea discussed is improving our knowledge of the internet. Most people know how to use search engines or navigate their favorite site, but that’s where their internet skills end. By teaching the public all the beneficial features the internet provides, we can allow more utilization of the technological world around us.

    http://www.digitaldividecouncil.com/top-five-digital-divide-solutions/

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