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Barriers to Broadband Access

September 29, 2022

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As the necessity for reliable, high-speed internet grows, accessibility gaps persist in low-income neighborhoods, rural areas and communities of color. Among Black and Latino Americans, 77% reported having access to the internet in 2021 compared with 82% of White Americans, according to a 2022 survey from the U.S. Commerce Department. Income disparities remain stark, with 50% of households earning less than $25,000 per year. Even more, 62% of households earning between $25,000 and $49,999 per year have access to fixed and mobile internet services, compared with 80% of households making more than $100,000 yearly. Access to technological devices is also a significant barrier for many, especially when it comes to personal computer (PC) and tablet ownership, which sits at only 54% for Americans with disabilities, 54% for Latino Americans and 57% for African Americans.

People in rural Black communities have among the lowest levels of access to broadband, with just 38% of Black Americans in the Black Rural South reporting they have internet access in their home, according to a report from the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. The report also notes that 25.8% of residents in the Black Rural South said they have no available broadband access in their region.

Known as the digital divide, disparities in broadband inhibits upward mobility for people and communities who lack access, especially in an increasingly digitized economy. With the rise of remote work, e-commerce and online education, those without internet access are increasingly being left out of economic advances.

The youngest in society, and their future academic success, are especially impacted by the digital divide. Among children whose parents make less than $25,000 per year, 17% did not have internet access for online school in 2020 compared with just 3% of children from families making more than $150,000 per year, according to a study from the National Center of Education Statistics. In 2021, researchers estimated that 17 million American school-aged children did not have access to broadband internet because their families could not afford it. While there’s still a long way to go to ensure every American has broadband access, federal investment is beginning to close the gap. In 2021, a $65 billion package to expand broadband access was signed into law through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The funding will primarily assist efforts implemented by the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program (BEAD) and support the Affordable Connectivity Program, which provides subsidies so low-income families can obtain broadband services and technological devices.

Robert F. Smith’s Advocacy for Expanding Digital Access

Robert F. Smith, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners, has been a vocal advocate for expanding broadband access to underserved communities. The Southern Communities Initiative (SCI), which Smith co-founded, aims to alleviate systemic barriers to upward mobility in six metropolitan cities across the South. Digital access is a core part of the SCI’s work. In Birmingham, Alabama, and Charlotte, North Carolina, Southern Communities Initiative supports efforts to increase enrollment in the Emergency Broadband Benefit for low-income families so they can gain broadband access. In New Orleans, Southern Communities Initiative partners with New Orleans’s Office of Information Technology & Innovation and Education SuperHighway to set up internet hotspots and provide support for those who need assistance obtaining laptops. Southern Communities Initiative engages in similar efforts in Memphis and Houston.

Learn more about the Southern Communities Initiative.