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Vision: digital equity for equitable rural prosperity
There is no denying the central role of the internet in 21st-century life. Just as electricity and telephone service became essential a century ago, fast, reliable broadband is now necessary for full participation in commerce, education, healthcare, the workforce, and civic and social life.
The social distancing requirements of the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the cost of inadequate access and the deep geographic inequity that affects communities and Native nations that do not yet have reliable, affordable connectivity. The resulting push for digital inclusion is making headway, with historic levels of federal and philanthropic funding for broadband deployment in previously unserved and underserved areas. While the current public-private infrastructure effort has had significant success, serving remote and low-income areas in rural regions will require different strategies.
To understand where we are and what it will take to achieve true digital equity for rural communities and Native nations, the Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group (Aspen CSG) spoke with some of the practitioners working on the ground to deploy broadband and make sure communities can use it to advance equitable rural prosperity. These conversations identified lessons learned, gaps in current approaches, and potential models that could move the country toward full broadband coverage at a sustainable cost.
“COVID created a rush to solve persistent digital equity issues. The positive is that it meant a new appetite for funding and risk. The challenge is that there has been a focus on temporary solutions. As we move past this phase, temporary solutions will be obsolete, and without long-term solutions, there’s a danger of returning to the pre-COVID status quo.”
Zaki Barzinji, Aspen Digital
What it will take to advance rural digital equity: acknowledgment, alignment, sustainability, learning
Acknowledgment: The first step toward digital equity for rural regions and Native nations is a clear acknowledgment across governments and organizations that broadband is an essential utility that all communities and people need to be able to access. Acknowledging this reality means policymakers at multiple levels of government need to grapple with how to best provide, regulate, and sustain this public good for all community members.
“We need routine investments in technology and people to provide technical assistance. Broadband should be treated like a basic utility—like water or electricity, it needs ongoing attention and support.”
Alex Kelley, Rural Innovation Strategies, Inc.
Alignment: Misalignment among people, agencies, and organizations can create barriers to broadband deployment and use at all levels. For example, it makes sense for states and Native nations to align digital equity plans, but the recent timing of funding availability under the Digital Equity Act meant that states’ plans were finalized before Native nations were able to access funding for planning, leading to missed opportunities for alignment and cooperation.
“The segmenting can be frustrating (like providing hotspots just for healthcare). People have whole lives, and we need to be responsive to that.”
Abi Waldrupe, National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA)
Sustainability: The current market-based approach to broadband has not worked for the most remote rural communities and Native nations because they simply do not have enough density of customers to allow private ISPs to make a profit. Acknowledging that broadband is an essential utility, as described above, should allow governments and communities to shift their thinking to find ways to provide affordable, sustainable connectivity to people and businesses.
“You can’t just beg one provider to serve a rural community—that hasn’t worked. We have to create an environment of “coopetition” (cooperative competition) with multiple providers and types of service.”
Connie Stewart, Cal Poly Humboldt
Learning: The many new broadband and digital inclusion projects currently underway provide fertile ground for learning about what works to bring effective connectivity to rural communities and Native nations—and leverage that connectivity to drive equitable rural prosperity. But without intentional efforts to learn from this experience—and the efforts centered on COVID-19 pandemic response—governments and practitioners may end up repeating mistakes or continuing efforts that need to shift.
“Tribal Colleges and Universities, workforce development programs, libraries—these are good places to start digital inclusion programs that cater to the community with a holistic approach. We need communities of practice in those places to test out how digital equity and digital inclusion will play out and to inform a model of practice and lessons learned.”
Davida Delmar, AMERIND Critical Infrastructure
What comes next?
While historic investments in broadband infrastructure funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will expand access to connectivity in rural regions and Native nations, it is clear that these investments will not be enough to fully connect the most remote and low-income communities. And while digital navigation and device access programs piloted during the COVID-19 pandemic have increased digital inclusion in rural regions and Native nations, these programs are not fully funded, and some (such as the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP)) have already ended. Achieving geographic digital equity will require policymakers, leaders, and community members at all levels to come together to learn from past efforts and align around sustainable solutions.
Aspen CSG’s consultant Rebecca Huenink led the writing process for our What’s Working in Rural series. We are grateful for her contributions.
