In 2022, nine of the country’s largest digital inclusion organizations joined forces to launch the Airwaves for Equity Coalition. The coalition is urging Congress to dedicate a portion of its proceeds from spectrum auctions to support digital literacy initiatives.
The Problem: A Growing Digital Divide
A lack of internet access, an appropriate device, or technological skills does not simply inhibit one’s ability to play online games or watch movies. Individuals living below the poverty line are the most likely to lack broadband, further deepening already-existing systemic inequalities. Without internet access, searching for jobs, using telehealth, and finding educational opportunities are much more difficult.
While bridging the digital divide will not magically lead to social and economic equality overnight, it is definitely a step in the right direction.
The Proposed Solution: A Digital Equity Foundation
Since 1994, when the government began auctioning licenses to use public airwaves, the US Treasury has earned over $200 million in revenue paid by large mobile phone and broadband companies. The Airwaves for Equity Coalition asks Congress to set aside a portion of these proceeds to create a Digital Equity Foundation.
While the Affordable Connectivity Program is already in place, providing discounted broadband services to low-income households, the coalition argues that people need to simultaneously learn digital skills in order to be able to utilize the available technology and avoid creating a “bridge to nowhere.” The Digital Equity Foundation would promote digital literacy by funding community-based initiatives such as “digital navigator” programs, rural telehealth initiatives, disability access, skills training for veterans and the elderly, and education technology that helps close the “homework gap.”
Congress will likely vote on this request in late 2022.
Image source: Bell, C., 2022, “Towards a Digital Equity Foundation”
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