Gissela Moya Life Without Internet Access, and Why We Must Fix It In The Age of COVID-19

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The Importance of Internet Access in Today's World

Welcome and thank you for joining this enlightening session on the weighty issue of 'Life Without Internet Access and Why We Must Fix it in the Age of COVID'. This discussion is driven by personal and collective experiences that resonate with the growing global need to bridge the digital divide and ensure connectivity for all. I am La Moya, a tech equity advocate at the Green Lighting Institute, and internet access is a very personal issue to me.

Moving Towards an Inclusive Internet Society

Traditional facets of everyday life such as education, work, and staying informed now heavily rely on the internet. The pandemic has ruthlessly exposed how essential the internet has become. With more people transitioning to remote work and online learning, those without reliable internet access face significant challenges. Interestingly, in the US alone, there were as many as 12 million students already affected by the homework gap even before COVID-19 started. These uncovered challenges disproportionately affect low-income communities, people of color, and those from rural areas. Thus, connecting the unconnected should be more than an option; it should be a priority.

The High Cost of Being Unplugged

One of the primary reasons why many remain offline is the high cost of internet access. It is disheartening to witness numerous families plummet into debt only to maintain this necessity now considered a luxury by some. The resulting struggles, such as sharing one computer among four siblings, young adults crafting their future on a tiny broken screen, or enduring hours of refreshing screens just to submit assignments, are undeniable.

Redlining in Internet Accessibility

In certain areas such as California, a curious pattern emerged where the areas with the least internet access closely resemble the redlining maps of the 1930s and 1940s. Redlining was a discriminatory practice of denying lending and investment to primarily African American and Latino neighborhoods. As such, the lack of internet access in these areas hence cannot be shrugged off as mere coincidence.

_Gender Inequality and Internet Access

The inequality extends opaquely to women. Globally as of 2017, the proportion of men using the internet was 12% higher than women. This gap gives one set a significant advantage over the other in opportunities and career growth. The lack of access to internet and digital tools should therefore not be an obstacle blocking women from entering lucrative tech spaces and sciences. Closing the digital divide effectively helps close gender inequality, benefiting families, societies, and economies as a whole.

How We Can Fix This

A potential solution is to herald internet service as an essential service. Subsidizing the internet bill is one way to help those in low-income brackets afford this necessity. But as we continue integrating more people into the internet, we must also ensure that data privacy laws are in place to prevent any form of discrimination online.

Connect with Me

Thank you for joining this session. If you have additional questions or topics you'd like to discuss, feel free to reach out to me. Let's continue the conversation and work towards an inclusive and equitable internet society for all.


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