The digital divide has existed for decades, but its impact on individuals and society has never been so glaring as it is today. Many schools have gone to online learning, hundreds of print newspapers have closed, physical stores have shuttered, and many companies are requiring employees to work virtually from home. The result is that tens of millions of Americans who do not have access to broadband internet and a computer to learn, shop, and work have been effectively disenfranchised from society. And globally it’s even worse. The problem isn’t just that many people don’t have the money to cross the divide. The problem is that broadband internet is simply not available in most rural areas of the world regardless of a person’s ability to pay.
Why does the digital divide persist, and what can be done to overcome it? This session brings together four people who have been working at all levels—from grassroots community organizations to national public policy—to discuss this critical issue. The moderator is Larry Irving, who first brought public attention to the digital divide when he served as the head of the National Telecommunications Infrastructure Administration in the Clinton Administration. The three panelists are Olatunde Sobomehin, CEO of StreetCode Academy; Ron Littlefield, former mayor of Chattanooga, Tenn.; and Tom Wheeler, former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission in the Obama Administration.