The Digital Divide and Rural Broadband
Apr 30. 2021Samsung SVP of Public Policy John Godfrey discusses why the digital divide exists, who is affected by it, and the role 5G and rural broadband will play in solving this long-standing national crisis.
The Internet has long been used for entertainment and shopping, but the pandemic has heightened its importance in our lives making broadband internet access an essential utility like water, gas, and electricity. While the world has made a massive shift toward virtual moving work, school and even grocery shopping home there are still many people who can’t easily get online regularly. This is commonly referred to this as the “digital divide.”
Even as fiber continues to be installed and speeds continue to increase from megabits per second to gigabit rates for many – there are still people who must go to a certain place or wait for a certain time to be online, or who will never have the opportunity to do so.
According to research from a Pew Research Center study1, there are an estimated 9.7 million students who don’t have reliable high-speed internet and many people who do have access to broadband are choosing not to subscribe. This could be for a myriad of reasons including high costs, lack of urgency and fear of getting online.
The U.S. government has been actively looking for solutions to the digital divide. Last year the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) launched the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) who are poised to spend to spend $20 billion over the next ten years working to close the rural digital divide. Similarly, the 5G Fund for Rural America may spend another $9 billion working on solving the issue as well. As solutions roll out one thing continues to be abundantly clear, 5G can and will play a large part in bridging this gap.
Clearly there are a ton of moving parts to the digital divide including the role that Congress and the FCC play, its effect on both rural and urban areas, the prominence of this divide before and after the pandemic and how 5G will play a big role and closing the digital divide.
Listen now to understand why the digital divide exists, who is affected by it, and the role 5G and rural broadband play in solving this long-standing national crisis.
Guests:
Timothy Day - Host
John Godfrey – SVP of Public Policy, Networks Business, Samsung Electronics America
Don't Miss These Discussion Topics:
| 0:30 | What is the digital divide? |
| 1:31 | Why is broadband internet access important? |
| 2:03 | Who is being affected by inadequate (or a total lack of) broadband internet access? |
| 4:07 | What impacts does the digital divide have on the American public? What did this look like before, during, and after the pandemic? |
| 4:30 | What is the homework gap? |
| 5:07 | Breakdown of national data exploring the effects of the digital divide |
| 6:31 | Breakdown of who is affected by the digital divide |
| 6:44 | How does the Federal Communications Commission define broadband? |
| 7:47 | Defining challenges in how we define adequate access |
| 9:32 | Nationwide data on broadband subscriptions |
| 10:52 | How can we begin to bridge the digital divide? |
| 11:11 | Fiber vs. cable vs. wireless access |
| 11:20 | What are the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund and the 5G Fund for Rural America? |
| 12:27 | American Rescue Plan for broadband affordability, accessibility and technical help |
| 13:19 | What role does 5G wireless play in the digital divide? |
| 14:00 | How can 5G broadband lessen the digital divide? |
| 15:01 | What are congress and the FCC’s continued role in allocating spectrum for wireless? |
| 15:23 | How do CBRS and C-Band spectrum availability affect the divide? |
| 16:00 | What is local government’s role in reducing the digital divide? |
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