Fact Sheet California’s Digital Divide By Darriya Starr, Joseph Hayes, Niu Gao Jun 26, 2023 Access to broadband and digital devices has grown in recent years, although gaps in access persist, especially among low-income households. Recent federal and state funding to build out infrastructure and provide subsidies may help shrink the digital divide—but not all eligible households have enrolled in federal programs that help cover broadband costs.
blog post Did Pandemic Aid Narrow the Digital Divide? By Darriya Starr, Joseph Hayes, Niu Gao Sep 18, 2023 As part of a multifaceted package of pandemic assistance, the federal government in 2021 allocated nearly $7 billion to help schools and libraries expand access to digital devices and internet connectivity. We examine what this has meant for digital equity among California students.
blog post How Has California Narrowed Its K–12 Digital Divide? By Niu Gao, Joseph Hayes, Darriya Starr Apr 5, 2022 Since the onset of the pandemic, educators and policymakers have made substantial strides in addressing two key barriers to universal digital access—affordability and infrastructure.
Fact Sheet The Digital Divide in Education By Darriya Starr, Joseph Hayes, Niu Gao Jun 15, 2022 The pandemic spurred efforts to close longstanding gaps in digital access that affect African American, Latino, and lower-income students.
blog post Testimony: California’s K–12 Digital Divide Has Narrowed, but Access Gaps Persist By Niu Gao Feb 21, 2024 At an Assembly Education Committee hearing on addressing students’ post-pandemic needs, PPIC senior fellow Niu Gao discussed the role that federal, state, and local efforts have played in increasing digital connectivity and outlined key challenges that remain.
blog post The Digital Divide Has Narrowed but Still Affects California’s Children By Paulette Cha, Niu Gao Aug 10, 2021 California has made progress over the past year, but many children—particularly those in low-income families—still lag behind their peers in technology access.
blog post California’s Digital Divide and the 2020 Census By Justin Goss May 21, 2019 A key challenge for the 2020 Census—the first to be conducted primarily online—is that high speed internet access is lower in areas of the state that are already considered hard to count.
blog post How California’s Digital Divide Affects Students By Courtney Lee, Justin Goss, Niu Gao Apr 25, 2019 Although most K-12 schools have reliable internet access, certain groups of students—such as African American and Latino students and those in low-income households—are less likely than others to have reliable access at home.
event Bridging California’s Digital Divide Jul 18, 2023 The pandemic highlighted longstanding gaps in reliable internet access and spurred unprecedented investments in broadband. What are the barriers to digital access across California’s diverse communities? How can we leverage recent funding to overcome obstacles and ensure digital equity? Join us for a multi-day conference about these critical issues.
blog post Video: Bridging California’s Digital Divide By Vicki Hsieh Jul 27, 2023 How can unprecedented public investments in broadband be leveraged to close the digital divide? PPIC convened a series of three expert panels to explore how California can ensure equity in internet access as well as in the use of digital connectivity.