The Lewis Latimer Plan
A National Urban League Approach to Digital Equity
Closing the Digital Divide
Access to high-speed internet is more than the ability to quickly find and share information. It's access to job applications, medical care, financial management resources, and online classes.
As last year's COVID-19 national lockdowns began, millions of Americans lost access to their schools, places of work, libraries, coffee shops – and their access to broadband. This disproportionately impacted African-Americans, people of color, those in rural America, and low-income families. To address this digital divide, the National Urban League developed the Lewis Latimer Plan for Digital Equity and Inclusion.
The Impact on Communities of Color
There are five persistent digital gaps that disproportionality affect communities of color: the availability gap, the adoption gap, the affordability gap, the access to economic opportunity gap, and the utilization gap.
- The Availability Gap. Millions of American homes, businesses, and other enterprises cannot connect to a broadband network capable of allowing them to fully participate in the economy, obtain an education and health services, train, search, and apply for a job, and otherwise participate in society.
- The Adoption Gap. Even among those Americans for whom a broadband network is available, there are still tens of millions who have not adopted broadband in their homes.
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The Affordability Gap. For millions of Americans who do not subscribe to broadband, the cost of service remains an overwhelming obstacle to adoption.
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The Access to Economic Opportunity Gap. While the digital economy has created the greatest opportunity for wealth accumulation in history, those opportunities are not equitably distributed throughout society. This means that the jobs especially in the higher paying technology industry have not been filled by Blacks and Latinos in any significant way.
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The Utilization Gap. There is also a lesser-known challenge--the challenge of improving how we actually utilize digital platforms to improve essential services for all, especially in the areas of workforce development, health care, and education.
National Urban League Guidance for States to Address Broadband Adoption
From Page to Progress: Bringing the Latimer Plan to Life Through Infrastructure and Job Act Funding
National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial issued the following statement after the release of the organization’s digital equity white paper:
“The National Urban League is pleased to have submitted this white paper in response to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s request for comments concerning the National Telecommunications and Information’s (NTIA) implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This white paper builds upon the National Urban League’s Lewis Latimer Plan for Digital Equity and Inclusion; a plan which provides a comprehensive framework that provides every household in America access to broadband networks, creating new opportunities for underserved communities to participate in the growth of the digital economy."
The Lewis Latimer Plan for Digital Equity and Inclusion
Inspired by the life of Lewis Howard Latimer, an African-American draftsman, soldier, scientist, and researcher whose parents were born into slavery, the plan has four achievable goals:
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Deploying networks everywhere
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Getting everyone connected
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Creating new economic opportunities to participate in the growth of the digital economy
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Using the networks to improve how we deliver essential services, in particular in workforce development, health care, and education
The plan addresses “the three A’s”—availability, adoption, and access to economic opportunities.
Availability means that a home broadband service is available to all communities, including communities of color. Adoption means that households in these communities have subscribed to a home broadband service. Access to economic opportunity means the industry must employ a diverse workforce and provide business opportunities to communities of color.
Millions of American homes, businesses, and other enterprises cannot fully participate in 21st-century society because we as a country have not adequately addressed those three A’s.
As a result, the National Urban League, working with other civil rights organizations and public policy experts, commissioned the Lewis Latimer Plan for Digital Equity and Inclusion, a detailed and comprehensive agenda to reach these four major goals and erase several persistent and dangerous gaps.
Our Work on the Digital Divide
The National Urban League has been an influential voice in closing the digital divide over the years. Below is some of the work we've done alongside our partners:
Addressing State Broadband Adoption Gaps in Your State
Letter to California Broadband Leaders
President & CEO Marc H. Morial on Politics Nation with Rev. Al Sharpton
The National Urban League's Framework on Closing the Digital Divide