Democrats and Republicans in Washington just shook hands on the broad strokes of a $65 billion plan to bring high-speed broadband infrastructure to rural America. That’s welcome news for those living and working in unconnected rural areas.
But in Atlanta, the digital divide has little to do with the actual broadband infrastructure.
More than 99% of homes and businesses in Fulton and DeKalb counties already have world-class wired broadband service available, and high-speed wireless networks are also ubiquitous. Most Atlantans can pick between multiple providers for high-speed home internet service. Yet despite this world-class infrastructure, one in four Atlantans aren’t connected at home. And this divide is starkest in communities of color.
As Congress now works to color in the details of the bipartisan infrastructure deal, the clock is ticking to make sure Atlanta’s disconnected and disenfranchised don’t get left out in the cold. Rural broadband infrastructure is a worthy use of federal dollars, but 75% of all disconnected Americans live in non-rural areas. This bipartisan deal needs to offer real solutions for them, too.
The answer here is simple, but not easy.
For those lacking the digital skills and confidence to get online, we need training and educational programs available right in their neighborhoods. For those skeptical of the value of getting online, we need an all-out campaign – leveraging voices and local community institutions they know and trust – to evangelize the opportunities that come with digital access.
And for low-income families, we need to build on progress forged by successful subsidy programs that are already helping huge numbers of unconnected Americans get online.
Broadband providers, for example, have helped connect millions of low-income families through low-cost initiatives at monthly prices around $15 or less. Organizations like PCs for People have helped tens of thousands more get access to affordable computers. Atlanta Public Schools’ Get Our Kids Connected program offers no-cost home internet service and devices to APS students in need.
And the FCC’s new Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB), launched in May, has already signed up more than 100,000 Georgia households offering a subsidy of up to $50 a month for internet service and up to $100 for an internet-ready computer.
The next step: Congress should make this temporary EBB initiative permanent. The EBB is scheduled to expire after the pandemic ends, but participating families’ need for help will continue long after that. That’s why civil rights leaders are urging Congress to come up with a long-term broadband assistance program. At an estimated price-tag of $8 to $12 billion, this is a direct, proven approach that we know will work.
In addition, this infrastructure bill must include major investments in digital literacy and community outreach programs. More than 30% of American adults – and even larger percentages in communities of color – have limited or no digital skills. Local organizations with reach, relationships, and years of well-earned trust will be our most effective frontline evangelists, if they have the resources needed.
The details of this infrastructure bill are in flux, and a deal could be struck in the next few weeks. We need to keep our eyes on the prize by amplifying what we know works. Solving the rural and urban divides is within our grasp if we just keep this focus.
Brittney Simmons is the HR Director at PCs for People, an Atlanta-based non-profit that works to connect low-income families with affordable computers and broadband service.
