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Broadband plan considers bridging the digital gap

The persistent divide between those who enjoy high speed Internet at home and those who do not is increasingly problematic, according to a report from the US Broadband Coalition. The report, "Bridging the Gap," details specific recommendations to increase broadband adoption and use.

Fortunately, according to Brian David of the FCC's Omnibus Broadband Coalition, the digital divide will be a prime target of the initiatives outlined in the FCC's National Broadband Plan, to be released in February.

Recommendations to expand of Lifeline and Link-Up to cover broadband are being considered, as well as a national digital literacy corp, according to David. Lifeline Assistance and Link-Up America are federal programs in the Universal Service Fund (USF) that help low-income individuals afford telephone service.

"There's a copious amount of evidence in the record and suggestions that we should" expand the USF program to cover broadband, David said in a speech on November 13. "How to do that is the question in front of us."

Data collected by the FCC's Broadband Initiative includes alarming data regarding a racial and class divide in broadband adoption:

  • The broadband adoption rate for blacks and Hispanics is 10-15 percent below average
  • The rate for those 65 and older is 38 percent below that of those 30 and younger
  • High school dropouts are 65 percent less likely to have broadband than college graduates
  • Those who make $30,000 a year or lower are 50 percent likely to have broadband than those who make $100,000 a year or more

The prime concern is not the size of the divide, but the increasing value of home Internet service to participate in society, particularly to find jobs, receive healthcare information, and stay informed about local and current events.

"It's rapidly becoming true to me that it will be more important ... in the near future to have high-speed Internet access at home than it was any number of years ago to have a telephone at home," David said, "The quantity and the importance of the information being delivered online makes it so."

"Bridging the Gap" (Baller Herbst Law Group)

Lifeline Assistance and Link-Up America (FCC)