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Satellite Broadband Is Expanding. Can That Reduce the Digital Divide?

Edsurge

During the pandemic, broadband access became more pressing than ever for education, as schools and colleges suddenly shifted most teaching online. And that sudden shift exposed inequities in who has access to broadband. Although the digital divide affects 15 to 16 million students across the U.S.,

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The Digital Divide 2.0: Navigating Digital Equity and Health Equity in Education

Edsurge

More than two years ago, educators around the country began to engage in dialogue regarding the digital divide , as they recognized the reality that many students did not have access and connectivity as once believed. So a new concept has emerged: “digital equity.”

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Free internet could erase the digital divide

eSchool News

Local leaders must play a critical role in closing the digital divide for 18 million American households that have access to the internet but can’t afford to connect, according to a new report. The urgent prompt comes from EducationSuperHighway, a national nonprofit with a mission to close the broadband affordability gap.

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Path to Digital Equity: Why We Need to Address the Digital Divide with Solutions Around Adoption

Digital Promise

Moreover, less than 25 percent of households eligible for the FCC’s Emergency Broadband Benefit had enrolled as of December 2021, and a similar percentage of low- and middle-income households are even aware of free or discount internet offers. In other instances, families’ needs, such as language barriers, aren’t properly addressed.

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The Universal Laptop Program Helping One State Narrow the Digital Divide

Edsurge

And one, Mississippi, has made important strides in closing the digital divide through a pandemic response plan that took each school district’s unique needs and challenges into account. It is worth remembering that the digital divide is not an all or nothing phenomenon.

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The Digital Divide Has Narrowed, But 12 Million Students Are Still Disconnected

Edsurge

In the months that followed, many states and school districts mobilized, using federal CARES Act funding, broadband discounts and partnerships with private companies to connect their students and enable online learning. As of December 2020, the number of students impacted by the digital divide has narrowed to 12 million. “In

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A Final Frontier of the Digital Divide: Getting Wi-Fi to the Most Remote Areas

EdTech Magazine

When leaders of Ector County Independent School District learned in March that 39 percent of their students lacked reliable broadband access at home, they went to work on finding a solution. It developed business partnerships to get low-income families in Odessa, a large city that’s the county seat, free broadband access through June 2021.