Disconnected and Disenfranchised: The Double Digital Divide for Vulnerable Populations in Rural America
By: Alisa Valentin, Communications Justice Fellow at Public Knowledge, and Daiquiri Ryan, Co-founder of Neta Collab, LLC.
In 2019, getting through everyday life requires connection to the internet — even in small town USA. Yet, struggling to connect to the 21st century’s most powerful tool is something rural communities in the Southwest and Deep South know all too well. Like urban communities, rural America also deals with a racial digital divide. An astonishing 27 percent of rural communities of color are unserved, meaning they completely lack access to high-speed broadband at home.
The digital divide impacts people of color in rural areas at a greater rate than white communities in urban and suburban areas. A 2016 study by Free Press shows that rural communities of color are subject to the digital divide at even greater numbers than urban communities of color. For Latinos living in rural areas, over a third do not have access to a broadband connection at 3 Mbps/ 1 Mbps. For rural Native communities, half do not have access to that same connection. Black communities are more likely to live in areas covered by one ISP and this lack of competition means there is less competition which subsequently means ISPs can charge monopoly prices that will line their pockets.
Many of these neglected communities are dependent on the Lifeline program, housed at the Federal Communications Commission, to get their families on the right side of the digital divide. Research shows that affordability has been and remains the number one barrier to broadband adoption, and without programs like Lifeline, these communities are forced to choose which necessary utilities like water, gas, electricity, and internet access take priority. Despite the FCC’s Congressional mandate to bring modern communications services to all Americans, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is dead set on gutting Lifeline, and championing proposals that would cause nearly 70 percent of participants to be kicked off of their current discounted plans. Chairman Pai’s most recent proposal would create a spending cap on all Universal Service Fund programs, including Lifeline — which is already only utilized by 30 percent of eligible low-income consumers.
The lack of access to high-speed broadband at home — or simply unreliable access — means low-income communities are cut off from digital opportunities in education, government services, and telehealth care.
Chairman Pai’s proposed cuts to the program will have adverse impacts on low-income families and an even greater impact on communities of color, particularly in rural areas, which will widen the digital divide instead of close it. The 2013–2017 American Community Survey (ACS) shows widespread progress with 78 percent of households that subscribe to the internet throughout the country. However, households in both rural and lower-income counties still trail the national average by 13 points.
This “double digital divide” exists for two distinct reasons: infrastructure and affordability. Infrastructure for high-speed broadband is lacking in rural areas and this impacts these communities’ access to reliable broadband and, due to systemic reasons, people of color in rural areas have greater difficulty affording necessary communications services. Although Lifeline cannot solve these infrastructure issues, if sustained and improved properly, it can be a tool in which all Americans, regardless of income or zip code, can fully participate in a digital society.
It’s no secret that rural states like New Mexico, Alabama, and Georgia are dealing with fragile infrastructure conditions. That’s why the FCC should be investing in programs like Lifeline because the dismantling of such a program will have a devastating effect on America’s most vulnerable communities.
