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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsRich People Have Access To High-Speed Internet; Many Poor People Don’t
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/high-speed-internet-center-for-public-integrity-investigation_us_57333405e4b0bc9cb048a512Ever since Curtis Brown Jr. got his first Star Wars toy as a toddler, he has been fascinated by action figures. So much so that he has built a business customizing action figures for clients worldwide. But what could be a lucrative career has turned into an exercise in futility that traps Brown and his family in poverty.
Thats because Brown struggles every day with miserable Internet service. The only choice where he currently lives is an $80-a-month satellite connection. Its slow and comes with such a low data cap that he exceeds it within a week or two. So Browns business comes to a halt. He cant afford to buy more data. He cant use his smartphone because the service is so bad he has to go outside to get a signal, and its too cumbersome to update the many websites he uses to conduct his business.
The constant interruptions limit Brown to about $400 a month in profit. Even with his wife Ashleys income from an administrative job with the states education department, Brown and his three stepchildren have to rely on help from relatives and food stamps to make ends meet. Brown would move if he could, but houses with fast Internet connections are in areas where the rent is too expensive.
An isolated case? Not at all. An investigation by the Center for Public Integrity found that even though Internet access has improved in recent years, families in poor areas are almost five times more likely not to have access to high-speed broadband than the most affluent American households. That means no access to online jobs, and no access to health care advice, education, government services and banking everything needed to be a full participant in todays society. This harsh reality has led to a new kind of segregation.
Thats because Brown struggles every day with miserable Internet service. The only choice where he currently lives is an $80-a-month satellite connection. Its slow and comes with such a low data cap that he exceeds it within a week or two. So Browns business comes to a halt. He cant afford to buy more data. He cant use his smartphone because the service is so bad he has to go outside to get a signal, and its too cumbersome to update the many websites he uses to conduct his business.
The constant interruptions limit Brown to about $400 a month in profit. Even with his wife Ashleys income from an administrative job with the states education department, Brown and his three stepchildren have to rely on help from relatives and food stamps to make ends meet. Brown would move if he could, but houses with fast Internet connections are in areas where the rent is too expensive.
An isolated case? Not at all. An investigation by the Center for Public Integrity found that even though Internet access has improved in recent years, families in poor areas are almost five times more likely not to have access to high-speed broadband than the most affluent American households. That means no access to online jobs, and no access to health care advice, education, government services and banking everything needed to be a full participant in todays society. This harsh reality has led to a new kind of segregation.
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Rich People Have Access To High-Speed Internet; Many Poor People Don’t (Original Post)
KamaAina
May 2016
OP
My Good Babushka
(2,710 posts)1. Much like the Interstate Highway System
squeezed out poor and minority neighborhoods, the digital highway is following the same pattern of neglect and perpetuation of poverty.
annabanana
(52,791 posts)2. If Ma Bell hadn't been a public utility to start with...
none of those communities would have telephones to this day!
yeoman6987
(14,449 posts)3. 400 a month
My cable/internet is $186. Cell phone is $168 a month. I feel bad for this guy. Internet is overpriced for everyone. For example high speed in Thailand is 35 for everyone. Why does the U.S. Have to be so expensive?