A Broad Look at Broadband; American Libraries, March 1, 2022

American Libraries ; A Broad Look at Broadband

What high-speed internet access and affordability look like around the country

"Why Access Is Important. During the pandemic, technology has been a lifeline: 9 in 10 Americans said the internet has been essential or important to them over the past two years. But for those who lack digital access, inequality has widened. Without the internet, people are more likely to miss out on the ability to work, find a job, bank, participate in telemedicine, and do schoolwork, not to mention maintain social connections with friends and family. Affordability and availability are key factors for why people lack access."

It's time to eliminate Oregon's digital divide: Guest opinion; Oregon Live, January 19, 2018

Brant Wolf, Oregon Live; 

It's time to eliminate Oregon's digital divide: Guest opinion

"Right now, Oregon's urban areas along the I-5 corridor have better and more reliable access to high-speed broadband internet than our fellow Oregonians in more rural areas. That inequity in access causes a "digital divide." People who happen to live in big cities have multiple options for high-speed internet, while those in certain rural and remote areas have limited options.

The everyday impacts of that divide are obvious. It's more difficult to start and maintain a new business without access to internet. It's more difficult for the unemployed to find jobs. Young students who don't have access to high-speed internet fall behind their classmates who do. It can also be more difficult to gain access to quality health care through telemedicine options.

But it doesn't have to be this way."

Many Rural AT&T Customers Still Lack High-Speed Internet Despite Merger Promise; HuffingtonPost.com, 11/18/12

Gerry Smith, HuffingtonPost.com; Many Rural AT&T Customers Still Lack High-Speed Internet Despite Merger Promise: "The disconnect here in rural Mississippi highlights a major shortcoming of American telecommunications policy, consumer advocates say. Time and again, regulators have approved enormous mergers in exchange for promises that companies will extend high-speed Internet to underserved communities. Time and again, companies have pocketed the profits from those deals while regulators have failed to enforce their obligations."