CLOSING THE DIVIDE

Two emerging technologies aimed to close the digital gap.

The Microsoft company in order to provide broadband service in rural areas of U.S.
proposed a new technology using white space. This consist in using low-powered television
channels to reach clients in remote areas. “The technology itself uses low-powered television
channels to cover long distances and can penetrate obstacles like concrete walls. Microsoft said
its new plan would help rural Americans — many of whom live in remote areas that haven’t had
fast internet service — get exactly that kind of service. The company is positioning white space
technology as a potential way to plug the digital divide” (Tam, 2017).
Another step aimed to close the Digital Divide comes from a new approach of installing
optical cables named “dig once”. Thanks to this smart process of installing new optical fiber
cables developing countries and disadvantaged areas can easier afford implementation of
hardware and broadband Internet. “Whenever a company wants to install a new optical fiber
cable to provide better Internet access to a house or community, it must first hire bulldozers and
a construction crew to dig a path to the new destination. If multiple companies want to deploy
fiber to the same area at different times, they might wind up digging the same route again. It’s
easy to understand why this process is expensive and disruptive to locals” (Nordrum, 2018).

References
Nordrum, A. (April 16, 2016). 3 Ways to Bridge the Digital Divide. Retrieved from
https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/computing/networks/3-ways-to-bridge-the-digital-
divide
Tam, P. (July 11, 2017). Daily Report: A Technology to Close the Digital Divide. The New York
Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/11/technology/daily-report-a-
technology-to-close-the-digital-divide.html