Imagine if every undergraduate at Georgetown University had zero access to the internet — then multiply that figure by almost five. In Washington, D.C., 36,460 households lack access to this valuable resource, including more than 50% of the predominantly Black residents in Wards 7 and 8.
Terms like systemic inequity, power and privilege have all become increasingly critical components of our national vocabulary, but one essential piece of our country’s unjust system that is often overlooked is the digital divide. The digital divide refers to the gap between those with reliable internet access and those without it, and it disproportionately harms low-income, minority communities.
Something that we have the power to do as Georgetown students is to raise awareness about this issue. As a widely renowned institution, we have an obligation to use our school’s reputation to knock on the doors we have access to. Our voices have the power to change the lives of many in this area for the better.
The digital divide impacts many areas of life for people of all ages. The “homework gap,” for instance, refers to the disadvantage millions of students without access to home internet face in completing their homework. Especially as schoolwork becomes increasingly digital in the wake of the pandemic, the gap is only widening. As a result, many students without broadband access are falling behind academically and are also facing disadvantages due to the harmful digitization of college applications, scholarships and extracurricular opportunities: some of our society’s greatest means of social mobility.
In addition, the digital divide makes it more difficult to search for and find locations that offer access to the internet, such as local cafes or libraries, and to find job opportunities. Having access to the internet would allow these individuals to establish an online network with professionals and career experiences through sites like LinkedIn, which they would have been unable to establish previously. This can not only allow them to build a digital resume but also see what types of jobs are available in their area that may fit their skill type. In D.C., one in every four residents lacks access to high-speed home internet, leaving over 150,000 people without the technological tools and skills necessary to succeed in today’s digital economy.
Installing broadband is expensive, especially in densely populated urban areas; in D.C. As a result, an estimated 32% of low-income D.C. households have access only to slower internet plans, compared to only 13% in higher-income areas.
Currently, neither broadband internet prices nor broadband access is regulated, meaning service providers can charge high prices and offer service only where they choose. In other words, internet service providers have an incentive to provide broadband services only in profitable locations and leave poorer neighborhoods behind. This disparity in internet quality and access between high-income and low-income communities is known as “digital redlining.”
Although there have been recent efforts to regulate internet service providers, the Federal Communications Commission, a government agency that oversees communication by television, radio, satellite, wire and cable across the United States, does not consider broadband internet a public utility the way they do water and electricity. Therefore, internet service providers have no obligation to provide U.S. residents with equal and universal access to high-speed internet.
Since internet providers are unlikely to act against their own economic interests, solving the issue of digital redlining requires changes in government policy. People must recognize the internet as the essential utility that it is and realize that disparity in internet access creates a disparity in opportunity. Students must be aware of the role that varying internet access plays in reinforcing systemic inequalities and advocate for broader funding for and access to the internet for all Americans, using our proximity to U.S. Congress to make our voices heard. This is something that student-run organizations on campus, such as Georgetown Disruptive, can do effectively; the networks these clubs hold have the potential to create wide-reaching impacts on the Hill and throughout the country.
Policies for internet access are key issues in today’s political debates, and the candidates Americans choose to support in the upcoming elections will likely determine the regulations for the foreseeable future. Our generation’s votes, in addition to our advocacy, will mold the future of technological inequalities in the United States. Georgetown students must recognize this responsibility and ensure that the inequities soon only exist in our history books.
Kolby Palmer is a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences. Lulu Ward is a first-year student in the College of Arts & Sciences. Anthony Duan is a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences. Max Ransibrahmanakul is a junior in the School of Health. The authors are writers in the newsletter division of Georgetown Disruptive Technology.
