National Urban League Unveils New Framework To Bridge Digital Divide
Lewis Latimer Plan for Digital Equity and Inclusion Named for Trailblazing Black Innovator
NEW YORK (January 28, 2021) -- The National Urban League today unveiled a the framework of a comprehensive agenda for leveraging the tools of the information economy to create a more equitable and inclusive society.
The Lewis Latimer Plan for Digital Equity and Inclusion would:
- Deploy broadband networks everywhere in the country.
- Connect every household to broadband networks.
- Effectively utilize the networks to improve delivery of essential services.
- Create new opportunities for underserved communities to participate in the growth of the digital economy.
“As the COVID-19 pandemic has so starkly illuminated, broadband is a necessity, not a nicety,’ National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial said. “This plan addresses ‘the three A’s’ – availability, adoption, and access. Availability means the service is extended to communities of color. Adoption means communities of color can afford to connect to it. And access means the industry employs a diverse workforce and provides business opportunities to communities of color.”
The plan was inspired by, and is offered in memory of, Lewis Howard Latimer, a 19th-century draftsman, soldier, scientist, and researcher whose parents were born into slavery. Working with Alexander Graham Bell on the development of telephones and Thomas Edison on electric lighting, Latimer made groundbreaking contributions that changed the course of human history.
“Millions of American homes, businesses and other enterprises cannot fully participate in 21st century society because there is no available broadband network,” Morial said. “Yet the federal government’s efforts to gather the necessary data to define and identify these unserved areas has been seriously flawed.”
Edward Smith II, the National Urban League’s Senior Director for the Latimer Plan, added, “If adopted, the Latimer Plan would improve how our country delivers healthcare, education, job training, and other government services in ways that will benefit all Americans, especially those in marginalized communities.”
Under the Latimer Plan, the FCC would reexamine network performance standards, pinpoint areas without any broadband network, eliminate restrictions that disqualify providers who could deliver service quickly and efficiently, and allocate subsidies necessary to close the Availability Gap.
“Even where networks are available, tens of millions of Americans have not adopted broadband in their homes, -- either because they can’t afford it or they don’t know how to use it,” Morial said, noting that the Adoption Gap is approximately three times larger than the Availability Gap.
Among the Latimer Plan’s recommendations to address the Availability Gap are: a federal Office of Digital Equity to coordinate training, and a major restructuring of the FCC’s Lifeline Program, which subsides communication services for low-income households.
“The growth of the personal computer industry has been called ‘the greatest legal accumulation of wealth in history,’ Morial said. “Unfortunately, the opportunities to share in that wealth accumulation have not been distributed equitably throughout society.”
The National Urban League’s 2018 State of Black America® report found that of 40,000 employees of the four major Silicon Valley technology firms, only 1,000 – about 2.5% – were Black. Business inclusion and opportunity in the growing tech sector has lagged miserably for Blacks and Latinos.
The televised murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement have prompted a renewed interest in a whole-of-government response and intentionality by many corporations to close racial opportunity gaps. Civil rights organizations, led by the National Urban League, have negotiated memoranda of understanding with several telecommunication companies to set forth goals, timetables, and initiatives toward greater diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The Latimer Plan would require companies that benefit from federal investment to improve access to economic opportunity, and it would direct the Department of Commerce and the FCC to collect information that allows the government and the public to understand and evaluate how the private sector is improving diversity, equity, and inclusion.
A detailed summary of the Latimer Plan is available on the National Urban League’s website.
The National Urban League is a historic civil rights organization dedicated to economic empowerment in order to elevate the standard of living in historically underserved urban communities. The National Urban League spearheads the efforts of its 90 local affiliates through the development of programs, public policy research and advocacy, providing direct services that impact and improve the lives of more than 2 million people annually nationwide. Visit www.nul.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram: @NatUrbanLeague.