FCC?s Clyburn: broadband is the great equalizer

"I say without hesitation today, that broadband is the great equalizer," FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn told the National Urban League annual meeting in New Orleans.

Clyburn was addressing the panel, "Job Creation and Education: Programmatic Efforts to Increase Broadband Adoption in African American Communities." And, part of that goal included influencing national policy in order to increase broadband adoption and more skilled use.

There was no question but that the Internet is essential to all communities. "It is imperative that we get everyone connected," Clyburn said. "Digital exclusion will further prevent our brothers and sisters, especially those in challenged communities, from truly participating in the very basic facets of today's society."

While awareness was important, Clyburn noted that cost remains a sometimes insuperable barrier to broadband adoption. "People should not have to choose between feeding their families and paying for the transformational benefits of broadband," she said.

National Urban League: Broadband Internet is Fundamental to Civil Rights (Politics 365, Jul. 26, 2012)