The Path Toward Achieving Digital Equity
In a generation that consistently relies on the internet and related digital technologies, maintaining digital equity becomes a critical element of social inclusion.[1] As various communities throughout the United States continue to lack access to the full range of digital technologies of the modern society, a new form of digital exclusion, the “digital divide,” ultimately results.[2] Such a digital divide exists when a specific group’s access to digital resources “differs along one or more dimensions of social, economic, cultural, or natural identity.”[3]
Currently, around 42 million Americans have no access to broadband internet.[4] In California alone, there are over 450,000 locations that lack available internet infrastructure or reliable internet services.[5] For those who do have service available, affordability remains one of the top barriers preventing these areas from accessing reliable internet services.[6] Broadband access, distinct from access to the internet using a smartphone, allows individuals to browse the internet at significantly higher speeds than those available through “dial-up” services.[7] Further, broadband speed varies significantly depending on the individual’s technology and the level of services ordered.[8]
In 2021, 64% of U.S. adults ages 65 and older reported having access to broadband internet at home, compared to 86% of individuals ages 30-49.[9] Further, 92% of individuals with a household income higher than $75,000 reported having access to broadband at home, whereas this number drops significantly to only 57% in households with an income below $30,000.[10] In fact, 45% of non-broadband users say that the main reason they do not have internet connection at home is because the monthly cost of a subscription is too expensive.[11]
Factors including age, gender, ability, race, income, age, education, and language proficiency contribute not only to variations in internet access but to one’s ability to derive benefits from an evolving knowledge-based society.[12] As such, ensuring access and requisite skills to utilize Information and Communication Technologies for individuals and disadvantaged groups lies at the center of discussions surrounding digital inclusion and equity within the United States.[13]
What California and San Francisco Have Done to Combat the Digital Divide
The concept of digital equity has been a topic of discussion within municipal governments for the past several years.[14] In 2019, the city of San Francisco reported that over 100,000 residents lacked broadband home internet or basic digital skills.[15] Individuals who are most impacted by this are those who are low-income, senior, have limited English proficiency, or have a disability.[16]
In November 2021, the Office of Internet Creativity and Growth (OICG) managed the implementation of multiple broadband grant programs, including the Digital Equity Act, which provides $2.75 billion for states to be able to develop and implement their own digital equity plans.[17] The OICG aims to eventually reach an “inclusive future where everyone in America is connected to reliable, affordable, high-speed Internet service; enabling each person to fully participate in the modern, digital society by accessing opportunities and information only available online.”[18] Today, all 50 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico have submitted their respective digital equity plans for acceptance.[19]
Further, President Joe Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure law included a $65 billion investment to ensure all Americans gain access to affordable and reliable internet – “Internet for All.”[20] This initiative launched three funding programs, aimed at laying the groundwork for infrastructure, increasing adoption and usage, and lowering the cost of reliable internet.[21] Currently, all of these programs appear to be in the early stages of implementation and time will tell which areas require more funding and further cooperation between the states and federal government.
Governor Gavin Newsom also recently signed the Digital Equity Bill of Rights, making California the first state in the nation to make Digital Equity a legal right.[22] Some key provisions of the Bill include “universal access, digital literacy, affordable devices, inclusive content and services, and data privacy and security.”[23] In September 2022, the California Legislature codified the State Digital Equity Plan, which required the California Department of Technology to develop a state digital equity plan by January 1, 2024.[24] California later released its nearly 200-page draft Digital Equity Plan at the end of 2023, citing several “barriers to digital equity” as well as proposed implementation strategies.[25]
California identified adoption, access, affordability, and data as the primary barriers limiting California’s ability to implement the plan and achieve its full potential.[26] Some of the listed goals to combat these barriers include “increasing the number of Californians who have a choice of at least three internet providers,” decreasing the number of individuals who cite cost as their primary barrier and increasing the availability of digital literacy training programs.[27]
California notes that it will be requesting additional funding through a Digital Equity Capacity Grant by mid-2024, but that this will be insufficient to carry out the objectives outlined in its Digital Equity Plan.[28] As such, the state hopes to rely on funding from local governments, philanthropists, the private sector, and public-private partnerships to be able to reach its statewide goals.[29]
Similarly, in 2019, the City of San Francisco released its five-year Digital Equity Strategic Plan.[30] The city highlighted its major goals for implementing digital inclusion beginning with access and availability, such as offering free Wi-Fi access throughout the city, providing education on basic usage and digital skills, and ultimately leading to long-term improved quality of life.[31]
One of San Francisco’s proposed approaches included an Affordable Connectivity Plan (ACP), aimed at bringing affordable connectivity to individuals living in affordable housing communities.[32] The ACP program, in conjunction with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), would have provided discounts on internet service for eligible individuals.[33] However, the FCC announced in January 2024 that the ACP had entered a “Wind-Down” phase, essentially ending the program due to “lack of additional funding.”[34] An anticipated 23 million households are impacted by the program’s wind-down.[35] Clearly, one of the major barriers to full implementation of these plans is a lack of funding. If more funding was provided for these plans, many cities and populations could benefit from increased outreach, education on basic digital skills, and greater access to reliable internet.
A Closer Look at Digital Inequity Among the Elderly Population
California and San Francisco have both listed aging individuals as one of the more vulnerable population groups impacted by the digital divide.[36] In 2019, San Francisco reported that roughly a quarter of low-income residents and seniors do not use the internet at all.[37] With digitalization reshaping the workforce, healthcare, and city services, the City has a responsibility to ensure “all residents have the digital tools and skills” to reap the benefits of these evolving systems.[38] The significant physical and emotional limitations associated with aging, in conjunction with any of the aforementioned socioeconomic factors, make the task of maintaining digital inclusivity increasingly difficult among the senior community.[39]
Disparities in high-speed internet access increase further when considering low-income, disabled, and homebound older adults.[40] Namely, seniors who have higher levels of interaction with family members and greater exchanges between generations are more digitally motivated than a senior citizen living alone.[41] For low-income, homebound older adults, lack of exposure to the internet and related technology, coupled with a lack of financial resources, can detrimentally impact one’s quality of life.[42]
This is especially true considering how healthcare systems are becoming increasingly reliant on internet technology for patient records, communication, and general care.[43] Individuals with low broadband access end up being less likely to utilize telehealth systems and video visits with their healthcare providers compared to people with widespread access.[44] Bridging the digital divide within the healthcare system can ultimately be one of the most crucial steps towards digital equity among the senior population.[45]
On October 4, 2021, Governor Newsom signed into legislation Assembly Bill 665, now codified as section 1537.1 of the California Health and Safety Code.[46] This bill requires licensed residential care facilities for the elderly with existing internet services to provide residents with at least one internet access device that enables virtual visits and is equipped with videoconferencing technology.[47] This piece of legislation serves as just one example of how lawmakers can take steps towards eventually achieving digital equity.
Looking Ahead
Some proposed solutions for the future include direct intervention to increase financial resources or reduce the cost of internet and related technologies for communities impacted by the digital divide, perhaps through the use of “ongoing subsidy funds to purchase and maintain” access to internet services.[48] Further, it may be beneficial to consider this issue on a much broader scale, as digital inequity likely relates directly to economic, housing, and transportation plans, and should be seriously considered while working on such development plans.[49] Government agencies and other organizations can also create recycling and refurbishment plans for the many computers that are disposed of each year.[50]
The vast array of legislation and strategic plans demonstrate a clear desire from governments to take steps towards bridging the digital divide. Yet, California’s admission of its lack of funding as well as the failed ACP program indicate just how much outreach, education, and how many resources still need to be directed towards the United States’ digital equity proposals.[51]
[1] Paul Resta & Thérèse Laferrière, Issues and Challenges Related to Digital Equity, 20 International Handbook of Info. Tech. in Primary and Secondary Educ., 765-66 (2008).
[2] Id.
[3] Id. at 765.
[4] Natalie Campisi, Millions Of Americans Are Still Missing Out On Broadband Access And Leaving Money On The Table—Here’s Why, Forbes, (May 26, 2023, 1:58 PM), https://www.forbes.com/advisor/personal-finance/millions-lack-broadband-access/.
[5] California Digital Equity Plan, Ca. Dept. of Tech., (Dec. 11, 2023), https://broadbandforall.cdt.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2023/12/Draft-SDEP_For-Public-Comment_12.11.23.pdf
[6] Id.
[7] Fed. Commc’n Comm’n, https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/getting-broadband-qa (last visited Mar. 16, 2024) (defining ‘broadband’).
[8] Id.
[9] Andrew Perrin, Mobile Technology and Home Broadband 2021, Pew Rsch. Ctr. (June 3, 2021), https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2021/06/03/mobile-technology-and-home-broadband-2021/.
[10] Id.
[11] Id.
[12] Resta, supra note 1.
[13] Buabuttri Ronnaritivichai, Digital Inclusion and Quality of Life: A Case Study of Elderly Citizens Living in an Era of Disruption, 24 J. of Legal, Ethical & Reg. Issues 1, 2 (2021).
[14] Colin Rhinesmith, Digital Equity Planning in U.S. Cities, Benton Inst. for Broadband & Soc’y, (Oct. 3, 2016), https://www.benton.org/blog/digital-equity-planning-us-cities.
[15] Digital Equity Strategic Plan 2019-2024, City and Cnty. S.F., at 5, (2019) https://sfmohcd.org/sites/default/files/SF_Digital_Equity_Strategic_Plan_2019.pdf.
[16] Id.
[17] Digital Equity Act Programs Overview, BroadbandUsa, https://broadbandusa.ntia.doc.gov/funding-programs/digital-equity-act-programs (last visited Mar. 16, 2024).
[18] Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth (OICG), Nat’l Telecomm. and Info. Admin., https://www.ntia.gov/office/office-internet-connectivity-and-growth-oicg (last visited Mar. 16, 2024).
[19] Angela Thi Bennett, For the First Time, All States Will Have a Plan to Address Digital Equity, BroadbandUSA https://broadbandusa.ntia.doc.gov/news/latest-news/first-time-all-states-will-have-plan-address-digital-equity (last visited Mar. 16, 2024).
[20] Fact Sheet: Biden-Harris Administration’s “Internet for All” Initiative: Bringing Affordable, Reliable High-Speed Internet to Everyone in America, U.S. Dep’t of Com., https://www.commerce.gov/news/fact-sheets/2022/05/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administrations-internet-all-initiative-bringing (last visited Apr. 9, 2024).
[21] Id.
[22] Leticia Alejandrez, Digital Equity Bill of Rights Signed by Governor Newsom, Ca. Emerging Tech. Fund, (Oct. 5, 2023), https://www.cetfund.org/digital-equity-bill-of-rights-signed-by-governor-newsom/.
[23] Id.
[24] Cal. Gov. Code § 11546.46
[25] California Digital Equity Plan, Ca. Dept. of Tech., (Dec. 11, 2023), https://broadbandforall.cdt.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2023/12/Draft-SDEP_For-Public-Comment_12.11.23.pdf.
[26] Id. at 11-12.
[27] Id. at 15-17.
[28] Id. at 25.
[29] Id.
[30] Digital Equity Strategic Plan, supra note 15.
[31] Id.; San Francisco WiFi, City and Cnty. S.F., https://sfgov.org/sfc/sanfranciscowifi, (last visited Mar. 16, 2024).
[32] Digital Equity Strategic Plan, supra note 15.
[33] Affordable Connectivity Program, Fed. Commc’n Comm’n, https://www.fcc.gov/acp (last visited Mar. 16, 2024).
[34] Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) Wind-Down Fact Sheet, Fed. Commc’n Comm’n, https://www.fcc.gov/sites/default/files/ACP_Wind-down_Fact_Sheet_Final.pdf (last visited Mar. 16, 2024).
[35] Id.
[36] California Digital Equity Plan, Ca. Dept. of Tech., (Dec. 11, 2023); Digital Equity Strategic Plan 2019-2024, City and County San Francisco (2019).
[37] Digital Equity Strategic Plan, supra note 15.
[38] Id.
[39] Ronnaritivichai, supra note 13, at 3.
[40] Namkee G. Choi & Diana M. DiNitto, The Digital Divide Among Low-Income Homebound Older Adults: Internet Use Patterns, eHealth Literacy, and Attitudes Toward Computer/Internet Use, 15 J. of Med. Int. Rsch. 5 at 12 (2013).
[41] Ronnaritivichai, supra note 13, at 3.
[42] Choi, supra note 40, at 13.
[43] Id.
[44] Jorge A. Rodriguez et al., Digital Inclusion as Health Care – Supporting Healthcare Equity With Digital Infrastructure Initiatives, 386 The New England j. of med. 1101 (2022).
[45] Id. at 1102.
[46] Ca Health & Safety Code § 1537.1
[47] Id.
[48] Caroline Stratton, Planning to Maintain the Status Quo? A Comparative Study of Digital Equity Plans for Four Large US Cities, 17 J. of Cmty. Informatics 46, 62 (2021).
[49] Id.
[50] Choi, supra note 40, at 14.
[51] California Digital Equity Plan, Ca. Dept. of Tech., (Dec. 11, 2023); Digital Equity Strategic Plan 2019-2024, City and Cnty. S.F. (2019).