The Digital Divide and the Little-Known Resource Connecting Millions of Families

The digital divide was widely worsened by COVID-19, with millions unable to afford broadband for essential tasks like job applications and telemedicine. The federal Lifeline program, initiated in the 1980s, offers subsidized phones and internet services to 33.5 million eligible low-income Americans, but nearly 80 percent are not utilizing it and are unaware of its existence. Matthew Johnson, Co-CEO of TruConnect, speaks about the need for government intervention, stakeholder collaboration, and improved outreach to address the digital gap and utilize the existing solution.

Lack of program awareness

Lack of awareness and budget cuts have hindered the program's effectiveness, particularly in non-urban states and areas with poor internet infrastructure. Big Tech's overbearing advertising rules further impede Lifeline's reach. Over four decades, the Federal Communications Commission and Congress have diminished Lifeline's budget, often citing concerns of "waste, fraud, and abuse." Although most of these issues have been addressed, the program remains highly politicized. 

The lack of government resources dedicated to public education about Lifeline has resulted in low enrollment numbers, especially pronounced in non-urban states with insufficient rural internet infrastructure. Even states with relatively higher enrollment rates, like Oklahoma, struggle to surpass 40 percent, while overbearing advertising rules from Big Tech entities such as Google hinder eligible Lifeline service providers, exacerbating exclusion and alienation of low-income users from vital economic assistance programs.

Cost to lower-income Americans

A 2019 Pew Research Center study found that 80 percent of low-income Americans cannot afford smartphones, computers, and home broadband services. Nearly half of that number lack home internet or a computer, and around 30 percent don't own a smartphone. When faced with the choice, many choose mobile devices because they can use them to search for jobs, connect with healthcare providers, search for government services — like Lifeline, ironically enough — and participate in remote learning. 

Regarding Zoom schooling, the pandemic has laid bare another facet of the digital divide: the homework gap. Nearly 50 million students were forced to go online when the country went under lockdown in 2020. About 20 percent lack home internet, making it challenging to complete assignments, with some relying on free Wi-Fi from fast-food places or using cell phones for classes. Many find themselves piggybacking off free WiFi from fast food joints and school footsteps, and approximately 45 percent rely entirely on cell phones to attend classes and complete assignments.

We should not put our children in danger amid a public health crisis, especially when the remedy lies in an already existing program that helps provide free internet connectivity from the comfort and safety of home.

Opportunity to correct the course

To address the digital divide, the government must focus assistance where it’s needed most, such as churches, grocery stores, libraries, housing authorities, and schools. A large opportunity lies in cross-promoting Lifeline at in-person sign-up events alongside other benefits like SNAP and Medicaid. 

Agencies need to work hand-in-hand with various Lifeline stakeholders, like philanthropies, nonprofits, healthcare providers, social workers, and internet service providers, to deliver clear and straightforward information about the federal program. Agencies can proactively reach out to eligible participants through periodic email notifications and links to local service providers, bypassing Big Tech ad policies that impede Lifeline promotion. 

The widening gap between internet haves and have-nots necessitates immediate action. There is a golden opportunity and an existing solution to bridge the digital divide, and it’s time to seize this opportunity.

Matthew Johnson is co-CEO, founder, and board member of TruConnect. Click here to read the full article on Broadand Breakfast.