the "haves" and the "have-nots"
When I think of the issue of internet access inequality, I always think of the education gap between races and class.
My sophomore year, I went to watch the Miami Heat game with a group of close friends at a fraternity house one Saturday night. It was nothing new. It was the same night I met Adam from Baltimore.
“Where do you live in D.C.?” he asked.
“Northwest D.C. Georgia Avenue. Fairly close to Howard University” I replied.
A confused look crossed his face, but I’m not surprised. Many Emory students “from D.C.” are usually from the upper-class suburbs of Northern Virginia or Maryland.
“Where did you go to school?” He asked.
I hesitated. I thought about lying and said I went to a private school he would probably be familiar with.
“Um, Banneker. It’s in D.C. too,” I replied.
“Hmm. Never heard of it,” he said. “Is it a private school?”
“No, it’s public,” I said.
All of a sudden, his face lit up like he just met a starving kid from a UNICEF commercial.
“Oh my gosh! You went to a public school in D.C. and you’re here?! Wow! That’s incredible!”
Besides the initial shock and urge to punch him in the nose, I replied with a half-sarcastic thanks.
To this day, I remember that conversation as if it were yesterday. I must admit, getting into Emory is a huge accomplishment and D.C. Public Schools are not exactly praise worthy. But his reaction made me feel like I was the token Black kid that made it out of the ghettos of D.C. I’ve worked just as hard, if not harder, than any private school student. However, I understood his assumption. D.C. Public Schools aren't well known for their outstanding standardized test scores, for their city-wide athletics program, and their accessibility to new technology. Would it be fair to say that a White guy who attended a wealthy private school would assume that I didn't have the same educational opportunities. Sure.
Similarly, broadband access still being stratified by race and class. 66 percent of non-Hispanic Whites have broadband access in their homes, compared to only 46 percent of African Americans (255). Even more startling is the gap created by income. Wilson and Costanza-Chock note that families making under $15,000 a year reported only 29 percent broadband access in their homes, while middle and upper-class households are more than two to three times more likely to have broadband access at home (255).
So why is this important?
I believe a continuing broadband access inequality can affect several aspects in one's life. Take, for example, the use of technology in post-secondary education. At Emory University, we are expected to have access to "Blackboard" for homework assignment and to check our emails regularly. However, "not all students enter college with Internet savvy" (Higher Education Research Institute, 1999, p. 1). For instance, one study found that the percentage of students using e-mail varies widely by type of institution, with the greatest use among students enrolling in private universities, like Emory, and the lowest rates among students at public black colleges (Gladieux and Swail). With schools continually integrating new technology into their curriculum, it becomes increasingly difficult for students with little to no prior broadband to adapt.
There's no one quick fix. With the ability to access the internet using smartphones and other devices that can utilize Wi-Fi, one might argue that we have more opportunities to access the internet than ever. Perhaps initiatives like Teach for America can introduce a technology component to it's low-income students. Perhaps we need more government assistance, like the e-rate program under the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which provided $2 billion in discounts for schools and libraries across the country (Gladieux and Swail).
External source cited:
The Internet: New Engine of Inequality? by Lawrence E. Gladieux and Watson Scott Swail
My sophomore year, I went to watch the Miami Heat game with a group of close friends at a fraternity house one Saturday night. It was nothing new. It was the same night I met Adam from Baltimore.
“Where do you live in D.C.?” he asked.
“Northwest D.C. Georgia Avenue. Fairly close to Howard University” I replied.
A confused look crossed his face, but I’m not surprised. Many Emory students “from D.C.” are usually from the upper-class suburbs of Northern Virginia or Maryland.
“Where did you go to school?” He asked.
I hesitated. I thought about lying and said I went to a private school he would probably be familiar with.
“Um, Banneker. It’s in D.C. too,” I replied.
“Hmm. Never heard of it,” he said. “Is it a private school?”
“No, it’s public,” I said.
All of a sudden, his face lit up like he just met a starving kid from a UNICEF commercial.
“Oh my gosh! You went to a public school in D.C. and you’re here?! Wow! That’s incredible!”
Besides the initial shock and urge to punch him in the nose, I replied with a half-sarcastic thanks.
To this day, I remember that conversation as if it were yesterday. I must admit, getting into Emory is a huge accomplishment and D.C. Public Schools are not exactly praise worthy. But his reaction made me feel like I was the token Black kid that made it out of the ghettos of D.C. I’ve worked just as hard, if not harder, than any private school student. However, I understood his assumption. D.C. Public Schools aren't well known for their outstanding standardized test scores, for their city-wide athletics program, and their accessibility to new technology. Would it be fair to say that a White guy who attended a wealthy private school would assume that I didn't have the same educational opportunities. Sure.
Similarly, broadband access still being stratified by race and class. 66 percent of non-Hispanic Whites have broadband access in their homes, compared to only 46 percent of African Americans (255). Even more startling is the gap created by income. Wilson and Costanza-Chock note that families making under $15,000 a year reported only 29 percent broadband access in their homes, while middle and upper-class households are more than two to three times more likely to have broadband access at home (255).
So why is this important?
I believe a continuing broadband access inequality can affect several aspects in one's life. Take, for example, the use of technology in post-secondary education. At Emory University, we are expected to have access to "Blackboard" for homework assignment and to check our emails regularly. However, "not all students enter college with Internet savvy" (Higher Education Research Institute, 1999, p. 1). For instance, one study found that the percentage of students using e-mail varies widely by type of institution, with the greatest use among students enrolling in private universities, like Emory, and the lowest rates among students at public black colleges (Gladieux and Swail). With schools continually integrating new technology into their curriculum, it becomes increasingly difficult for students with little to no prior broadband to adapt.
There's no one quick fix. With the ability to access the internet using smartphones and other devices that can utilize Wi-Fi, one might argue that we have more opportunities to access the internet than ever. Perhaps initiatives like Teach for America can introduce a technology component to it's low-income students. Perhaps we need more government assistance, like the e-rate program under the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which provided $2 billion in discounts for schools and libraries across the country (Gladieux and Swail).
External source cited:
The Internet: New Engine of Inequality? by Lawrence E. Gladieux and Watson Scott Swail