MORE CALIFORNIANS ARE GAINING BROADBAND ACCESS
More Californians are gaining access to broadband Internet, but Black and Latino households still lag behind their White counterparts, according to an analysis of the latest available American Community Survey data.
The Public Policy Institute of California, which recently presented the findings, noted that the U.S. Census Bureau survey paints a picture of expanding but unequal access to high-speed internet service in the state at a time when reliable internet service became a necessity for remote work and school.
The data come from the 2020 American Community Survey, which the institute said was limited by “substantial nonresponse bias” because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We present these ACS findings cautiously, and we do not make direct comparisons with prior years,” the institute wrote.
According to those “experimental data,” 85 percent of California households had highspeed Internet in 2020 while 94 percent had Internet access of any kind, including cellphone data plans.
Eighty-seven percent of White households had access to highspeed Internet, compared with 83 percent of Black households and 80 percent of Latino ones.
The divides were not only among racial groups; households headed by adults 65 or older or non-college graduates lagged behind younger and collegeeducated households. Likewise, households with an annual income below $50,000 were less likely to have access to broadband than wealthier households.
Additionally, 15 percent of both Black and Latino households, and 23 percent of low-income households, reported not having a laptop, desktop or “other computing device” at home.
“Notably, 5 percent of households with school-age children did not have home access to a device,” the institute wrote.
Additionally, the institute noted, Federal Communications Commission estimates suggest that 3.7 million households are eligible for federal programs that discount or subsidize broadband access, but that only 1.4 million had enrolled.
“Nonetheless, these programs have helped increase digital access,” the institute wrote.