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Table of Diversity Weekly: Digital Access and Equity

One of the 2024 priorities we highlighted in the State of DEI was the emergence of AI. Research shows that AI can be a great equalizer or it can further the wealth divide. One of the factors that will determine whether AI will help or hurt is digital access and equity.





According to the Urban Institute, "digital access is the ability to fully participate in a digital society. It includes access to tools and technologies, such as internet and computers, that allow for full participation. A lack of digital access has adverse effects on cognitive development, educational attainment, and skill building. These variables are strongly linked to an individual's economic success as well as their sense of power and autonomy."


I recently attended the Digital Equity Summit where the Department of Education and Labor shared their findings from a years long effort to better understand the digital access divide. The digital access divide is 'the gap between those who have access to technology, the internet and digital literacy training and those who do not." (North Carolina Department of Information Technology).


There are several populations that disproportionately experience a lack of digital access (also referred to as 'covered populations'): justice involved individuals; veterans; people with disabilities; people with low income; people in rural communities; elderly people; people with language barriers; and racial and ethnic individuals.


In the short term, there are 6 objectives to close this gap:

  1. Enhance broadband availability and affordability for covered populations.

  2. Ensure access to affordable devices.

  3. Increase application accessibility and inclusivity to state and local government programs.

  4. Ensure that people are equipped to navigate the internet safely.

  5. Improve digital literacy for all covered populations.

  6. Help people develop the digital skills necessary for work and life.


The Department of Education and Labor shared that by focusing on these objectives and for these communities the impact can be felt in economic development; workforce development; education; healthcare; and civic and social engagement.


What does this mean for you as a leader in your organization?

First, here's some resources to learn more about the digital divide.

Some digital divides persist between rural, urban and suburban America. -Pew Research Center


"Rural Americans have made large gains in adopting digital technology over the past decade and have narrowed some digital gaps. However, rural adults remain less likely than suburban adults to have home broadband and less likely than urban adults to own a smartphone, tablet computer or traditional computer.


Roughly seven-in-ten rural Americans (72%) say they have a broadband internet connection at home, according to a Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults conducted from Ja. 25 to Feb. 8, 2021. While broadband adoption has not significantly increased for urban and suburban Americans in the last five years, rural residents have seen a 9 percentage point rise in home broadband adoption since 2016, when about six-in-ten (63%) reported having a high-speed internet connection at home. Despite the rise in rural adoption, rural residents are still less likely than those living in suburban areas to report having home broadband."


Digital divide persists even as Americans with lower incomes make gains in tech adoption. -Pew Research Center


"More than 30 years after the debut of the World Wide Web, internet use, broadband adoption and smartphone ownership have grown rapidly for all Americans- including those who are less well-off financially. However, the digital lives of Americans with lower and higher incomes remain markedly different, according to a Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults conducted Jan. 25- Feb. 8, 2021. In fact, the shares of Americans in each income tier who have home broadband or a smartphone have not significantly changed from 2019 to 2021.


Roughly a quarter of adults with household incomes below $30,000 a year (24%) say they don't own a smartphone. About four-in-ten adults with lower incomes do not have home broadband services (43%) or a desktop or laptop computer (41%). And a majority of Americans with lower incomes are not tablet owners. By comparison, each of these technologies is nearly ubiquitous among adults in households earning $100,000 or more a year.


Americans with higher household incomes are also more likely to have multiple devices that enable them to go online. Roughly six-in-ten adults living in households earning $100,000 or more a year (63%) report having home broadband services, a smartphone, a desktop or laptop computer and a tablet, compared with 23% of those living in lower-income households.


Conversely, 13% of adults with household incomes below $30,000 a year do not have access to any of these technologies at home, while only 1% of adults from households making $100,000 or more a year report a similar lack of access."


1 in 3 American Indian, Black, and Latino Children Fall into Digital Divide, Study Says. -Education Week.


"Overall, 16.9 million children under the age of 18 lack high-speed home internet, the study from four groups says. And children in one in three Black, Latino, and American Indian/Alaska Native households lack such internet access, making children in those homes 'more likely than their White peers to be disconnected from online learning,' the analysis states.


Such connectivity is crucial for students seeking to keep up with their schoolwork during the pandemic, those four groups say, especially since relying on a mobile device for internet access is 'largely ineffective for completing digital assignments and participating in online classes.'


Among different student racial groups, American Indian/Alaska Native students are the most likely not to have such internet services at home.


In addition, when the data is broken down by income, 23 percent of all households lack high-speed internet. Not surprisingly, the share of households with relatively low incomes without such internet access is much higher than that. And households without high-speed internet or computers are much more likely to be in non-metro 'rural' areas than in metro areas, the report says, with particularly acute shortages in states like Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas."


What is the Digital Divide? -North Carolina Department of Information Technology


"Nearly every aspect of today's society interacts with the internet in some capacity. From everyday appliances- like lights and refrigerators- to complex health care systems and records, most North Carolinians encounter the internet daily.


As opportunities created by the internet increase, so do inequities for those who do not have access to the technologies, tools and skills needed to participate in the increasingly digital world.


The digital divide is the gap between those who have access to technology, the internet and digital literacy training and those who do not. It affects all generations- both rural and urban communities- and a wide variety of industries and sectors."


What is the Digital Divide. -IEEE


"There's a major gap between people who can access and use digital technology and those who can't. This is called the digital divide, and it's getting worse as 3.7 billion people across the globe remain unconnected. But what causes the digital divide, and how can we stop it?


Technology is developing faster than ever, and it's increasingly necessary for different aspects of life, from work and school to pharmaceuticals and healthcare. Areas of the world without the right infrastructure and people who can't afford, or don't know how to use, technology are at a disadvantage. To avoid economic fallout and promote digital equity and digital inclusion, institutions must address and try to close the digital divide.


Causes of the Digital Divide:

  1. Infrastructure: Infrastructure is a huge concern when it comes to the digital divide. Accessing a website requires a computer and an internet connection. This means broadband or fiber-optic connectivity. Or, a use needs a smartphone with data. In the United States, 5.6 percent of the population has no access to broadband internet. Students are worse off: fifteen to sixteen million (30 percent) lack broadband internet access.

  2. Digital Literacy: Digital literacy can mean a lot of things. It includes knowing what information is safe to share online, how to spot disinformation on the internet, and how digital skills can be used to improve one's life. This information needs to be taught, which is why closing the digital gap isn't only a matter of building infrastructure. It requires closing the knowledge gap by educating people in digital literacy.

  3. Institutions: A lack of support from institutions such as national, state, or local governments contributes to the digital divide. Governments should fund or subsidize access to broadband internet. Institutions must prioritize educating individuals about technology, use, and safety. In places where this is not the case, people are likely to land on the wrong side of the digital divide.


Impact of the Digital Divide

  1. Personal Economic Impact: A lack of connectivity means individuals may miss out on education and healthcare. Higher educational attainment is linked with higher earning potential, so forgoing education because of the digital divide may mean decreased lifetime earnings. And losing healthcare because of technology could mean a lower life expectancy and quality of life. Additionally, digital skills are increasingly necessary for middle-skills jobs, which require less than a bachelor's degree and pay above a living wage.

  2. Social Economic Impact: Individual economic loss on a massive scale- caused by the technology divide- negatively impacts entire economies. The World Bank reports that increasing broadband penetration by 10 percent increases gross domestic product (GDP) by 1.21 percent in developed nations and 1.38 percent in developing countries.

  3. Increase Racial Inequities: The digital divide worsens pre-existing inequities. According to Chakravorti, in the U.S., nearly half of Americans without at-home internet access were in Hispanic or Black households. Up to 40 percent of students from Black, Latino, and indigenous communities struggles with insufficient digital literacy. As more jobs require digital skills, without proper intervention, a majority of Black and Hispanic workers could be locked out of 86 percent of jobs by 2045.

  4. Gender Digital Divide: Women face some of the harshest results of the digital divide. According the UNESCO, 2 billion women globally are not connected o the internet. This is the gender digital divide. Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, 130 million girls were denied education. Now, because of COVID-19 disruptions in education and the switch to digital learning, UNESCO estimates that an additional 11 million girls are at risk of not returning to the classroom.

  5. Income Divide: In addition, a study of 191 countries showed that higher income and educational attainment are positively linked with access to technology. Digital inequity is also an issue of digital inclusion. This occurs when the right technological infrastructure is in place, but users can't afford broadband or can only afford speeds that aren't useful for everyday functions. In this way, the digital divide is an intersectional issue that worsens inequities for marginalized groups.


Why millions may soon lose their affordable internet. -POLITICO Tech

"There are 22 million households enrolled in the Affordable Connectivity Program, each receiving a subsidy from the federal government for their monthly internet bill. But unless Congress acts, the program will soon run out of money. On POLITICO Tech, reporter John Hendel tells host Steven Overly why partisan politics could effectively kill the program, and what that would mean for closing the digital divide.



Second, here's the report released from the Department of Labor and Education.


Third, here's your homework

  1. Learn more about the digital inequities present in your state. If your state has a digital equity plan, share a link in the comments!

  2. How reliant is your organization on digital access? Does your organization require a computer to apply for a job? Access benefits? Participate in group meetings?

  3. What alternatives exist for those who need accommodations applying for jobs? What about once they are hired?

  4. How do your DEI efforts incorporate digital equity?



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