Posted: February 19th, 2023

Digital Redlining and the Persistence of the Digital Divide

#Digital Redlining and the Persistence of the Digital Divide
Digital redlining refers to the discriminatory practice of internet service providers (ISPs) denying broadband infrastructure and internet access to low-income, often urban communities and communities of color. While the term redlining originated in reference to discriminatory housing practices during the 1930s that denied mortgages and loans to residents in certain neighborhoods, digital redlining shares disturbing parallels and perpetuates inequities through lack of high-speed internet access. This digital divide has far-reaching consequences, particularly regarding education and economic mobility.
##A Legacy of Discrimination
Traditional redlining involved the Federal Housing Administration literally drawing red lines around neighborhoods deemed “too risky” for mortgage insurance, disproportionately impacting Black communities (Nier, 2022). These redlined neighborhoods suffered from disinvestment and struggled to build wealth for decades. Disturbingly, maps of historical redlining grades closely align with maps of modern broadband availability, suggesting digital redlining is a continuation of systemic discrimination (County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, 2022).
Studies have found ISPs like AT&T disproportionately denied fiber-optic infrastructure to low-income neighborhoods and communities of color, even those located near existing infrastructure (The Markup, 2022). This “digital redlining” is exacerbated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) failing to enforce requirements that ISPs expand service to underserved areas (County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, 2022). Without regulation or competition, private companies prioritize profits over serving communities deemed less lucrative.
##Impacts on Education
Lack of high-speed internet access poses severe challenges for education in digitally redlined communities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, an estimated 17 million children lacked internet access needed for remote learning (Common Sense Media, 2020). In Cleveland, one study found neighborhoods with the lowest broadband rates had the highest concentrations of students in underfunded, low-performing schools (The Markup, 2022).
With much coursework and research now online, the digital divide puts students without home internet at a steep disadvantage. It also limits educational opportunities like advanced courses only offered virtually. This perpetuates intergenerational poverty, as lack of digital skills and qualifications restrict future career prospects (Nier, 2022). One analysis estimated closing the broadband gap could have generated over $3 trillion in economic benefits between now and 2025 (Lazarus, 2022).
##Economic Mobility
Digital skills have become essential for full economic participation and mobility in the 21st century job market. However, digital redlining prevents residents of affected communities from accessing growing sectors that require broadband. This constricts local economies, as businesses struggle without customers online (County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, 2022).
Lack of home internet also limits work-from-home options and the ability to search, apply for, and complete online job applications—critical for low-income job seekers. The pandemic further illuminated this disadvantage, as remote work became widespread (Nier, 2022). One study estimated digital redlining costs Cleveland $5.7 billion annually in lost economic opportunity (The Markup, 2022).
##Policy Solutions
Addressing digital redlining requires coordinated policy solutions. The Biden administration has made expanding broadband access a priority through initiatives like the Affordable Connectivity Program. However, more must be done to enforce requirements that ISPs service underserved areas and close coverage gaps (Nier, 2022).
Municipal broadband programs offering low-cost high-speed internet could help fill needs where private companies have failed communities. Increased competition through community-led efforts may also incentivize better service (County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, 2022). Significant and sustained investments are still needed, as are policies to make internet infrastructure and technology training universally accessible (Lazarus, 2022).
Only by confronting the roots and modern impacts of systemic discrimination can the digital divide be overcome. Closing broadband access gaps is essential for educational and economic equity, as the internet becomes increasingly interwoven with opportunity in the 21st century. Coordinated efforts at the federal, state, and local levels are urgently needed to eliminate digital redlining’s intergenerational consequences.
References:
Common Sense Media. (2020). The COVID-19 crisis and K-12 education: Major findings from a survey of principals. https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/uploads/pdfs/2020_k12_digital_divide_research_release_1_embargo.pdf
County Health Rankings & Roadmaps. (2022). Digital redlining. https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/reports/digital-redlining
Lazarus, J. V. (2022). The $3 trillion cost of not expanding broadband. https://www.brookings.edu/research/the-3-trillion-cost-of-not-expanding-broadband/
Nier, C. (2022). Digital redlining: How internet service providers limit access in communities of color. https://www.brookings.edu/research/digital-redlining-how-internet-service-providers-limit-access-in-communities-of-color/
The Markup. (2022). The broadband gap’s dirty secret: Redlining still exists in digital form. https://themarkup.org/digital-divide/2022/02/03/the-broadband-gaps-dirty-secret-redlining-still-exists-in-digital-form

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