So who is “connected” — digitally, that is– and who is less so? According to a new report from the Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University:
People who live in the Washington, DC, region are pretty well connected when it comes to high-speed Internet service — but there are still large swaths of the population that are unwilling or too financially strapped to plug in.
Having a low income is the most consistent trait among non-adopters, while Hispanics and rural residents are also less likely to be broadband subscribers, according to a four-month study of government data by the Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University.
The data show that in the DC region and elsewhere, the debate over the “digital divide” has become less about access to broadband and more about the far-stickier issue of affordability. The District ranks 17th out of 29 counties and cities in the region for residential broadband adoption. The most connected areas, like Fairfax County, VA, are also among the wealthiest.
A DCentric post also raised an interesting, interrelated question:
About 95 percent of the US is wired for broadband service, but only 65 percent of the population actually subscribes. And that spurs many policy questions over how much the government should intervene, Dunbar says: Should the government subsidize the cost of signing up? Should it force carriers to set lower-cost price points?
Similarly, the study concludes with this: “In some parts of the world, a broadband connection is being referred to as a civil right. As a candidate, President Obama said it is ‘unacceptable’ that the US ranks 15th in the world in broadband adoption” Do you agree? And if so, should the federal (or state or local) government take the first step towards insuring that one’s income does not dictate one’s level of connectivity?
For future studies, I would ask: what barriers result from a low level? In our current climate, everything from paying parking tickets to applying for jobs takes place online; and in the former case, there is no need to buy a stamp or make a trip to the post office. Before, or as, we move so many services to the internet, should we be sure to hang on to convenient alternatives for those who have not, or cannot, get wired?