Many Hispanics remain on the wrong side of the Digital Divide

Ten years ago, a group of leading Hispanic organizations formed HTTP to ensure that the needs and perspectives of the Hispanic community were included in policy debates regarding the Digital Divide. Since then, broadband technologies, and the accompanying telecommunications policy discussions, have evolved in ways we could not have imagined, but the gap between technology haves and have-nots continues to plague certain segments of our society.

The Pew Hispanic Center and the Pew Internet Project recently issued a report that confirms that the Hispanic community is still on the wrong side of the Digital Divide. Among Internet users, Latinos are less likely than whites to have a broadband Internet connection at home. According to the report, “29% of Latino adults have a broadband connection at home, compared with 43% of white adults.” Of the 44.3 million Hispanics in the U.S., only about 56% use the Internet at all, compared to 71% of non-Hispanic whites and 60% of non-Hispanic blacks.

A number of factors, including language and education, account for the gap in Hispanic Internet use. HTTP’s member organizations address these concerns as part of their core work, but they have made an additional commitment to HTTP because they believe that technology policy decisions significantly impact the people with whom they work. Today, the Internet is a gateway to the tools, information, and resources that are key to success in our society. HTTP will continue to bring the Hispanic perspective to telecommunications policy discussions in order to ensure that all underserved communities have access to the benefits of technology.