Speaking on the public's access to broadband Internet at the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission's annual State of the Region event, local and national panelists examining "digital equity" said access to broadband is critical to functioning in society today.
"The home broadband piece has to be a priority," said Angela Siefer, director of the National Digital Inclusion Alliance. "Do you want to do your taxes at the library? Do you want to look up your prescription at the library?"
A record number of people in the United States — about 88 percent — have Internet access, according to the Pew Research Center. But only 73 percent have access to broadband in their homes, according to the survey released in January.
Those who don't have speedy home access to the Internet are disproportionately in poor areas of inner cities and rural communities, panelists said. Providers often have regional monopolies that make access too expensive for people who live there.
That makes it harder for kids in those homes to do their homework, for adults to find jobs and for everyone to access data about government, they said. Some cities, including New York and Las Vegas, are making government data accessible through online portals.
Anne Schwieger was hired as broadband and digital equity advocate in 2015 for the city of Boston, where about 20 percent of households do not have broadband. She said Boston has been trying to simplify permitting and other government processes to make it easier for companies to extend broadband access.
Boston also is adding broadband infrastructure as it adds new housing. The city has had an ordinance since the mid-1990s that requires anyone installing their own conduit to build an equal length for the city. Schwieger said city officials are trying to determine how to lease that "shadow conduit" to expand broadband access.
Access problems can be exacerbated in rural areas, where it takes a long drive to get to the library, said Aaron Schill, MORPC's new regional data and mapping director.
"It might be a 45-minute drive to the library," he said. "That's an additional barrier."
Pew's research shows that more people today have a smartphone than home broadband access, but Schwieger said the handheld technology isn't a substitute for broadband because wireless carriers often impose limits on data use.
"You just can't do everything you need on a smartphone," Schweiger said. "It's an important piece, but it's not sufficient."
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