Krishen Iyer's Recommendations on Closing America's Digital Divide
Jul 28, 2021
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When you think of the word “infrastructure,” what comes to mind? You may be thinking of bridges, roads, tunnels, public transportation, and everything in between. But you should also be thinking about technology when thinking about infrastructure.
The Oxford dictionary defines infrastructure as “the basic physical and organizational structure and facilities (e.g., buildings, roads, power supplies) needed for the operation of a society or enterprise.” Take stay-at-home orders and the subsequent remote work revolution during Pandemic, for example. Could any American professional have performed their job to the same capabilities as they did in the office without a reliable internet connection? The answer is of course not.
What is the “digital divide”?
When the digital industry had first catalyzed a revolution of its own, a “digital divide” appeared in the United States. That “digital divide” encompassed the gap between Americans who had reliable access to the internet versus those who did not. The digital divide does not only describe the variations in internet access but in literacy, too. Because gaps still exist between whether households can afford internet, we still have a digital divide. Since using the internet is far more costly in some regions than others, the impaired access contributes to lower levels of computer literacy and digital competency.
Earlier this year, Joe Biden proposed the American Jobs Plan. The legislation includes a $65 billion budget over eight years to close the digital divide. But according to the Harvard Business Review, the digital infrastructure budget should have been two and a half times as large as the originally proposed $100 billion. And with the digital revolution only becoming more sweeping as time goes on, those on the struggling side of the divide will continue to struggle if something does not change.
For those without reliable access to the internet, the digital divide can become a public health issue. Research from the Harvard Business Review found that the digital divide thwarted telehealth access during the pandemic in New Mexico, Montana, Vermont, and Iowa. The digital divide also existed as a detriment to the shift to remote learning too. Out of the 55 million students who relied on online learning during the pandemic, one in five teenagers between the ages of thirteen and seventeen reported not doing their homework “often” or “sometimes” due to unreliable internet access. To make matters worse, twelve million children did not have internet access whatsoever during the pandemic, which could stall their cognitive and academic progression as schools begin to re-open.
Solutions for broadening digital infrastructure
The digital divide suggests that variations in digital infrastructure tend to manifest on a regional level. As a result, I believe we should first turn to states with the least access to the internet as a way to narrow the gap. In states where less than a third of the population has broadband access (Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, New Mexico, Alabama, and West Virginia), an examination into local barriers to entry is required. Such barriers include, but are not limited to, bans on municipal networks.
Public officials should also tap BigTech and internet service providers (ISPs) to help close the digital divide. Facebook, Amazon, and Apple, for example, each provide internet access infrastructure. If the government leveraged its power over these tech giants to encourage them to provide deals to those in most need of the internet, we would see a positive change.
BigTech incentives to offer basic internet service need not be the only public-private solution to close the country’s digital divide. For example, Google and the state of California previously collaborated to connect one-hundred thousand rural households to the internet. In addition, Microsoft and other companies have worked with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on a digital connectivity pilot in East Cleveland. Plus, Facebook’s fiber network contributed to connecting several educational institutions in North Carolina. The precedent for successful public-private solutions exists; all we need is for these stakeholders who can make it happen to understand their ability for wide-scale improvements and act accordingly.
About Krishen Iyer
Krishen Iyer is the founder and president of MAIS Consulting Services, an Encinitas-based consulting firm with a vertical focus on health and dental insurance clientele. The firm seeks to provide its clients with an evaluation of their knowledge gaps in contracting and marketing policies. By filling these gaps with solutions, the firm empowers its clients to achieve measurable business goals, such as increased profit margins or growth in website traffic. A California native, Iyer graduated from San Diego State University in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in urban development and public administration.