The absence of reliable Wi-Fi is a violation of Civil Rights
The Oxford Dictionary defines a civil right as “the rights of citizens to political and social freedom and equality”.
Connectivity is an issue of infrastructure and affordability. It’s a hardware problem. An equity problem. An economic problem. And an even bigger civil right issue than ever before.
Surprisingly, it's still lingering.
In the world’s wealthiest country, the disparities caused by digital divide aren’t just unfortunate. They’re alarming and unacceptable. The digital divide hinders far more than just virtual learning. Teenagers without home broadband can’t easily research colleges and universities, apply for financial aid, find jobs, or locate volunteer opportunities.
For many parents who can’t connect to the internet from home, jobs that allow for remote work aren’t options for them putting them at a distinct disadvantage for employment.
Can we talk about the adults who can’t register from home to vote who may lose the option to elect their school board leaders, local and national representatives, and the president? In effect, they’re losing out on a constitutional right.
There are existing federal government’s broadband programs that target tens of billions of dollars to expand broadband availability for residents of “unserved and underserved” rural areas, while studiously ignoring tens of millions of urban Americans who still lack high-speed internet service. This policy framework is not only counterproductive for reducing the nation’s overall digital divide, It is also structurally racist, discriminating against unconnected Black Americans and other communities of color.
Conscious or not, the objective effect of current policy is that broadband investment – not just by the FCC and USDA, but by some states as well – is directed mostly to assisting non-Hispanic rural white people to get better internet connections.
If you look at the disparity in these numbers, you will find my claim to be true:
All of the nation’s counties whose populations are at least 75% rural, taken together, accounted for less than 8% of Americans living in households with no broadband. In contrast, the most urban counties — those with fewer than 5% rural residents — accounted for more than 35%. Unconnected residents in the nation’s largest cities and urban areas.
76% of residents living without broadband connections in the most rural third of U.S. counties were white and non-Hispanic.
63% of the unconnected households in those counties were white and non-Hispanic, while only 20% were Black.
People of color accounted for 75% of the unconnected in 95%+ urban counties, and 67% of the unconnected in cities with 200,000+ residents. Black residents alone accounted for 28% of the unconnected in 95%+ urban counties, and 32% of the unconnected in cities with 200,000+ residents.
The Digital Divide is threatening to become the new face of inequality, reinforcing the social and economic disadvantages that persist in communities of color.
To ignore this digital divide, is to uphold the boundaries of race and class that keep American society hostile to tens of millions of its people. To tackle it head-on is to set the pace for an America where internet access is no longer a luxury afforded only to those who have inherited its privilege.