washingtonpost.

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Democracy Dies in Darkness

Cities, not rural areas, are

the real Internet deserts
The solution to the digital divide is not more
broadband, but persuading non-users to join the
Internet society

By Blair Levin and Larry Downes

September 13, 2019 at 6:00 AM EDT

The “digital divide” is back in the news, with both

Democratic presidential candidates and incumbent
government officials promising billions to provide
high-speed Internet to millions of Americans in rural
areas who don’t currently have access to it at home.

The digital divide, however, is not exclusively or even

most significantly a rural problem. Due to inaccurate
coverage maps, it is difficult to know where specifically
access is lacking. But we know from regular Census
Bureau surveys that three times as many households in
urban areas remain unconnected as in rural areas. And
regardless of geography, access isn’t the main reason
these homes are without Internet service. The vast
majority of U.S. homes without broadband service
could have it today but they don’t want it The real