Stats and Guidance

Key Messages

• • Closing the digital divide has always been an urgent priority, but COVID-19 has shone a harsh light
    on existing inequities, further demonstrating the need for legislation like the Digital Equity Act.
  • Digital equity is about ensuring everyone – no matter where they live – can fully participate in our
    society, democracy, and economy.
  • In a world where digital skills and digital access are needed to get an education, invest in skills
    training, apply for jobs, access unemployment benefits, and more – digital equity is absolutely
    essential.
  • The Digital Equity Act is bipartisan. That’s because every state and every community stands to
    benefit from an investment in digital equity – red or blue, rural or urban.

Quick Stats

• • According to the Pew Research Center, before the pandemic nearly one in five teenagers in the
    U.S. said they had been unable to complete homework assignments due to lack of a reliable
    internet connection. The digital divide, also sometimes referred to as the “homework gap” as it
    applies to students, exacerbates existing wealth and income gaps in our communities;
    subsequently, many people—including those from communities of color, people with disabilities,
    low-income households, and rural communities, overwhelmingly impacted by the digital skills
    gap—are at risk of being left behind in an increasingly technology-driven world, absent
    intervention.
  • According to a 2019 report from Pew Research Center, 58% of Black adults and 57% of Hispanic
    adults have a laptop or desktop computer, compared with 82% of white adults, and 66% of Black
    adults and 61% of Hispanic adults have broadband access at home compared with 79% of white
    adults.
  • According to the 2019 U.S. Census, 36 million households do not subscribe to a wireline broadband service. 26 million of these households are in urban areas. 10 million are in rural areas. The lower a household’s income, the less likely they are to consistently subscribe to a wireline broadband service.

Effective Ways to Uplift the Digital Equity Act

• • Tell personal and localized stories – help share stories that clearly demonstrate why an
    investment in digital equity is long overdue.
  • Share data and statistics that show a plain need for an investment in digital equity.
  • Showcase the overwhelming support for this bipartisan bill. Whether it’s corporations and small
    businesses or nonprofits and advocacy organizations, there is a broad-based nonpartisan
    coalition that spans the entire country that wants to see the Digital Equity Act passed into law.

Chris – Minneapolis, MN
Completeing a digital literacy class through Minnesota Literacy Council has increased Chris’s confidence, helped him overcome depression, and allowed him to get back into the workforce.

If you would like to submit a video, email [email protected]