Why does the US have a digital divide despite having the resources to minimize it? The biggest offender is actually location. People in rural areas tend to have either incredibly low internet speed or none at all. So how do we fix this? First, let’s dive a little deeper into what creates a digital divide. A digital divide happens when there’s poor analog foundations. The foundations are governance, capital, business climate, infrastructure, and institution (World Bank 2016) . First, we can tackle infrastructure. To fund infrastructure, we can pull money from taxes or even adjust government spending. Next is business climate. Once proper infrastructure is in place, we can encourage more people to move in and even start up their own businesses. For institution – or education, we may need to update the curriculum for school children, so they’ll be prepared for their future. Then, capital should increase over time. Of course, this can only happen with proper governance. If a government isn’t willing to put its people first, this whole plan could fall apart.
