Disparities in internet access hit Black and Hispanic families in urban areas harder, hindering student participation in remote learning and handicapping adults looking for jobs or access to unemployment benefits, a new study found.<\/p>\n\n\n
The study<\/a>, released Tuesday by the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities and Dalio Education, is based on 2018 data from the Census Bureau. It found that the \u201cdigital divide\u201d was more pronounced in Connecticut\u2019s cities like Hartford, New Haven, Waterbury, New Britain, and Bridgeport. Nearly 40% of households in those areas lack subscriptions to a broadband internet connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dalio Education Director Barbara Dalio said stories of families struggling for internet access during the height of the pandemic were \u201cheartbreaking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n \u201cA single mother working two nursing shifts, then coming home at 11 o\u2019clock, piling her children into a car and driving to a McDonald\u2019s parking lot so the kids could access a Wi-Fi hotspot to try and do their homework. Other kids alone at home, isolated, because their day care center was shut down, adults unable to go online to search for a job or file for unemployment benefits because their Internet connection was inadequate,\u201d Dalio said in a press release.<\/p>\n\n\n The study found that deficits in access fell disproportionately on Black and Hispanic households as well as older residents. Thirty-five percent of Hispanics and 34% of African Americans lacked a broadband connection. That\u2019s compared to 21% of white residents who did not have a high speed connection. Meanwhile, 36% of older residents went without wireline broadband in their homes.<\/p>\n\n\n According to the report, 57,000 Connecticut families with children under the age of 18 did not have reliable internet access as COVID-19 closed schools and shifted students to a remote learning setting.<\/p>\n\n\n The report also found disparities in the percentage of homes with working computers. In Hartford, New Haven, Waterbury, New Britain, and Bridgeport, 37% of residents lack computers. One-third of households making less than Connecticut\u2019s median income do not have a computer in the house. Only 6% of homes above the median income lacked computers.<\/p>\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s hard to do school work or have a telehealth session when you only have a smartphone with a small screen and a data-limited wireless service plan,\u201d John Horrigan, the report\u2019s author, said during a Tuesday press conference.<\/p>\n\n\n CCM Executive Director Joe DeLong commended Dalio Education and state officials for purchasing and distributing 60,000 laptops<\/a> to low-income students across the state. That effort was part of a public-private venture, which fell apart amidst transparency complaints in May.<\/p>\n\n\n DeLong also noted a $43 million program launched <\/a>by Gov. Ned Lamont, which provided 50,000 laptops for students and funded a year of home-based internet access for 60,000 students. The initiative also funded 200 free public hotspots.<\/p>\n\n\n Ultimately, DeLong said, Connecticut\u2019s digital disparity \u201ccannot be solved by a philanthropic group\u201d and will require government investment in the country\u2019s digital infrastructure. He compared the issue to efforts to spread access to electricity to rural areas of the country. In 1936, Congress passed funding to build up the electrical infrastructure. Internet access should be shored up in the same way, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n Delong said that once the dust settles from next week\u2019s election, his group will engage federal lawmakers and push to have the issue addressed in the next round of COVID relief legislation.<\/p>\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to take action at city halls. It\u2019s going to take action at the state house and it\u2019s going to take federal action,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s more than just an educational problem. As we try to prepare our state and our country to come out of this economic crisis that\u2019s been building because of COVID, we have to make sure that everybody has the ability to participate in the economy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n In addition to the report, the groups commissioned a public opinion survey, conducted between September 14-18, which found likely Connecticut voters concerned about the report\u2019s conclusions. According to the poll, 90% of likely voters were concerned by families with children lacking internet access during the pandemic. Meanwhile 86% were concerned that Black and Hispanic students were less likely to have internet access.<\/p>\n\n\n \u201cWe found almost unanimous levels of concern for some of the key findings on Connecticut\u2019s digital divide,\u201d said James Delorey, senior vice president of Global Strategy Group, the firm that conducted the poll.<\/p>\n\n\n In a statement, Timothy Wilkerson, president of the New England Cable and Telecommunications Association, said that nearly all Connecticut homes have physical access to broadband internet. He said the association recommends policies focus on providing hardware like computers and smartphones to students in need.<\/p>\n\n\n \u201cThe state has consistently been ranked nationally as a top state for broadband access for over a decade, including a #1 ranking in 2020,\u201d Wilkerson said. \u201cNECTA\u2019s members are working with Governor Lamont on the Everybody Learns school initiative to ensure all Connecticut students can have access.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n Publisher\u2019s Note:<\/em> Study Identifies Digital Divide in Connecticut<\/a> was first published on CTNewsJunkie.<\/p>\n\n\n
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