The Abell Foundation has released a new report Thursday on the digital divide in Maryland, examining data on access to home internet service and devices like desktops and laptops. It also includes recommendations on how to bridge the gap.
The report reiterates what previous reports have said, in that the digital divide cuts along the lines of race and class. In the state, African American households account for 40% of all disconnected households, and those below Maryland’s median income of $84,805 account for 75% of those without home internet service or a laptop, desktop or tablet, the report states.
Authored by John B. Horrigan, a senior fellow at the Technology Policy Institute, and titled “Disconnected in Maryland: Statewide Data Show the Racial and Economic Underpinnings of the Digital Divide,” the report analyzed 2019 American Community Survey data. It was commissioned by the Community Development Network of Maryland, and funded by an Abell Foundation grant.
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