Home broadband is a necessity for all, regardless of race, income or geography — especially as we’re being asked to stay at home whenever possible to stop the spread of the virus. Yet according to a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) December 2018 Internet Access Services report, 44 million households do not even have a standard broadband connection, either because they do not have access or can’t afford it. This crisis is reaching a breaking point this fall as many schools hold all classes online.
For communities of color, home broadband continues to lag behind the rest of the country. According to a recent Pew report, 34 percent of Black households and 39 percent of Latinx households do not have a wired broadband connection. The Census Bureau recently found that Native Americans are the least connected population with 33 percent lacking a broadband subscription and 47 percent of those living on tribal lands lacking broadband availability.
According to the most recent 2019 census data, 23 percent of people in the U.S. do not have a wired broadband connection. For households earning less than $20,000 per year, it’s more than 35 percent.
— source thehill.com | 10/28/20
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