Connect to Compete. Bridging the digital divide. It's about time.

When I served on the school board in Central Florida a few years ago, I became keenly aware of the digital divide. The district I represented was very diverse. In income, race, ethnicity, culture. One low-income area in particular had a multitude of challenges. It, like in so many cities, was an island. No major grocery store, limited retail, inadequate parks, inadequate bus service. For the children, in addition to not having enough safe, green places to run and play, they usually did not have access to the internet in their homes, let alone digital, broadband access.

We may wince, but most of us now absorb the cost of internet and cable into our monthly budgets and would only stop service if our financial situation changed dramatically for the worse. But that monthly fee (not to mention the cost of equipment and hardware) is out of reach for low-income families, and probably many lower middle-income families, too. Their children may have access at school, although technology in schools is not what many of us have at home, but the rest of the time-- afternoons, evenings, weekends, and summers-- they have limited connection to the world of technology. Their local public library (if it's still open) is a bit of a substitute, but again it's limited and we all know the budget cuts libraries have experienced over recent years, especially during this "Great Recession."

It's also true that part of our employment problem, especially in the cities and rural areas where this digital divide exists, is linked to the many adults who lack the technological access, knowledge and ability to be qualified and ready for many of today's jobs. Tackling this cold reality is worth the investment and effort. Not only for the adults who will benefit short-term, but also their children, neighborhoods and communities, in the long term. Actually, it benefits the whole country and the greater economy to build bridges to these islands among us.

During my term, my husband and I mentored two young men (brothers) and a young woman who attended high school in two of these "island" neighborhoods. Neither family had internet or cable. In fact, the young woman's mother, who worked long hours as a practical nurse, had been through times before we met when she didn't even have enough money for electricity. One of the brothers came to our house to go on line to fill out his college applications. It was as though we were living in two different countries. An advanced one and a developing one. Right next to one another.

Now that we're in the Washington, D.C. area, a region where its leaders do put more focus on equity, I know there are still children who endure a similar island life. So, it was exciting to read of a new, albeit overdue, effort to bridge this divide on a national scale, and give technological life lines to these children and families. (Let's not forget the same digital divide in rural areas of the country, especially in the Deep South.) Part of this effort is called "Connect to Compete." Here's their website.

Connect to Compete is a national private and nonprofit sector partnership created to increase broadband adoption and digital literacy training in disadvantaged communities throughout the United States. The initiative is designed to help residents improve outcomes in education, health, and employment through broadband opportunities and technology solutions.

According to the Pew Research Center, one-third of all Americans — 100 million people – have not adopted broadband high-speed Internet at home. The Connect to Compete public-private partnership seeks to overcome the top obstacles to broadband adoption, including digital literacy, relevance and cost. The program delivers on the vision of the FCC National Broadband Plan to narrow the digital divide.

Here's the announcement on the FCC blog- FCC and Connect to Compete Tackle Broadband Adoption Challenge.

A long way to go, but  a very good start. Thankfully, the New York Times and USA Today covered the announcement, but where's the rest of the media? And, maybe I missed it, but I haven't heard any elected leaders mention it. Too bad. It seems like a very big deal to me.

From the USA Today article-

"More and more jobs in our economy require basic digital literacy, There's a skills mismatch that we need to tackle," Genachowski says. "Even in this challenging economy, there are many jobs available that … are going unfilled because (applicants) require basic digital literacy."

From the New York Times article-

Only 68 percent of Americans with access to high-speed broadband Internet are using it, while in places like South Korea the rate is 90 percent.

More than 80 percent of Fortune 500 companies — including Wal-Mart and Target — require job applicants to apply online.

Various studies have shown that the major reasons people do not have broadband are: the cost of Internet services and the cost of computers; not knowing how to use a computer; and not understanding why the Internet is relevant.

As part of its attempt to break down these barriers, Mr. Genachowski said the F.C.C. wanted to start a pilot project that would lead to expanding the number of libraries that teach people how to use computers and apply for jobs online.

Last week, Mr. Genachowski outlined a plan to transform the $8 billion Universal Service Fund, most of which comes from consumers’ telephone bills nationwide, from subsidizing telephone service in underserved areas to expanding broadband access in those areas. He said Tuesday that some of the money from this fund could be used to help expand computer classes in libraries.

Moving the nation to full computer literacy, he said, will require multiple approaches. "There’s no single action that will solve all these problems," he said, "but there are a series of initiatives that will move the needle." 

No child will be engaged and prepared to succeed, prosper and compete without full access to the technology that is shaping our fast-changing, complex world. No family or neighborhood is going to succeed, prosper and compete without full access to the technology that their surrounding communities enjoy and utilize. Local neighborhood leaders, local nonprofits, local advocacy organizations need to jump on this and work with (and put pressure on) politicians, technology companies, cable companies and internet providers to make it happen.