Achieving internet equity is a shared imperative
The principle is straightforward, yet achieving it remains challenging: an individual’s ability to pursue education should not depend on where they live, or how much they earn. Because education is a catalyst to a more fulfilling life, we should assure access to higher education for every resident of Connecticut, and all Americans.
High-speed broadband is therefore indispensable, whether you are a student or an employee, an entrepreneur or a business owner, as this year of the coronavirus pandemic has amply demonstrated. Every day of delay is another day of opportunity denied, and a potential workforce untapped.
The Federal Communications Commission estimates 21 million Americans lack access to highspeed internet. Even when access to broadband is available, many families are unable to afford the monthly payments. As the rest of the country proceeds with the “new normal,” it is the same “old normal” for those who remain off-line and out-of-mind.
Internet access is a necessity of life, health, learning, business and opportunity, and must be treated as a critical infrastructure. The Pew Research Center reported last year that 44 percent of adults in households with incomes below $30,000 do not have broadband. There is evidence of that unsettling status quo in Connecticut.
A research report recently issued by the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities and Dalio Education indicated that 38 percent of residents in five Connecticut cities (Bridgeport, New Haven, Hartford, Waterbury, and New Britain) do not have broadband at home, and 36 percent of households with incomes below the state median do not have any connectivity, more than triple the 11 percent of households with incomes above the median.
Western Governors University (WGU) urges policymakers and internet providers that time is of the essence, and corrective action must be taken. After 20-plus years of educating students virtually, nonprofit accredited WGU knows the importance of connectivity and alarmingly sees too many would-be students in our current and future workforce isolated from opportunity.
WGU pioneered competency-based education, which measures learning and competency in a specific field rather than the time spent in a classroom seat. WGU now serves more than 130,000 students, in Connecticut and nationwide, in fields including information technology, health care, business and education. Driving innovation, WGU has become a leading influence in changing lives and preparing the workforce required by our rapidly evolving economy.
COVID-19 has compounded the disparities, and for those whose jobs have been impacted, returning to school to prepare for new career opportunities is critical. However, the loss of income may make it impossible to afford the broadband services that students need to return to school to advance their education.
Last summer, WGU announced plans to grant high-speed internet access and devices to students who need and can’t afford them through its Online Access Scholarship program. It is part of a broader WGU initiative aimed at working with policy makers and private industry to close the digital divide by providing more Americans access to reliable internet in their homes.
Online learning is also uniquely positioned to advance equity by meeting the needs of those historically underserved: people living in poverty, students of color, first generation students, rural and urban residents, and learners who pursue post-secondary education long after high school. There are millions of Americans with some college education, but no degree. If our economy is to expand, they will be needed, and a pathway for realizing their potential is essential.
Connecticut has been referred to as The Provi
A research report recently issued by the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities and Dalio Education indicated that 38 percent of residents in five Connecticut cities (Bridgeport, New Haven, Hartford, Waterbury, and New Britain) do not have broadband at home, and 36 percent of households with incomes below the state median do not have any connectivity, more than triple the 11 percent of households with incomes above the median.
sion State, harkening back to its role in supplying essential provisions to participants in the Revolutionary War. “Connecticut people were very enterprising and always have been,” State Historian Emeritus Christopher Collier once explained. Today, a provision essential to extending opportunity to all state residents is access to affordable, high-speed broadband.
Connecticut, once again, can provide what is necessary. The state recently took a great step forward for young learners, providing more than 100,000 laptops or internet access to K-12 students who lacked the essential technology. But the digital divide stubbornly remains for too many people in our communities.
WGU has established a partnership with the National Governors Association to identify challenges, resources and solutions; advocate for policies that improve and expand the nation’s digital infrastructure; and pursue coalition-building efforts to help raise awareness of continuing broadband inequities. We welcome collaboration with like-minded partners in this transformative effort.
Rebecca L. Watts, Ph.D., serves as a regional vice president for Western Governors University (WGU), a nonprofit, accredited university focused on competency-based learning that serves more than 130,000 students, including 700 students and 1,200 alumni in Connecticut.