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Revisiting the Digital Divide in the COVID‐19 Era

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  • John Lai
  • Nicole O. Widmar

Abstract

The digital divide limits opportunities for those without ready access to Internet. Movement online of essential activities during COVID‐19 took inadequate Internet service from inconvenient to emergency/crisis for many households. A negative correlation between rurality and Internet speed was found at the county level, highlighting the struggle for rural areas. Schools tackle challenges of providing equitable educational access by attempting to provide access for students, while even households with service available struggle to maintain sufficient speeds and/or can afford it. Essential activities moved online, yet sufficient Internet is an essential public service that remains unattainable for many US households.

Suggested Citation

  • John Lai & Nicole O. Widmar, 2021. "Revisiting the Digital Divide in the COVID‐19 Era," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 43(1), pages 458-464, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:apecpp:v:43:y:2021:i:1:p:458-464
    DOI: 10.1002/aepp.13104
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. John Lai & Nicole O. Widmar & Courtney Bir, 2020. "Eliciting Consumer Willingness to Pay for Home Internet Service: Closing the Digital Divide in the State of Indiana," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 42(2), pages 263-282, June.
    2. Amy M.G. Kandilov & Ivan T. Kandilov & Xiangping Liu & Mitch Renkow, 2017. "The Impact of Broadband on U.S. Agriculture: An Evaluation of the USDA Broadband Loan Program," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 39(4), pages 635-661.
    3. LaRose, Robert & Gregg, Jennifer L. & Strover, Sharon & Straubhaar, Joseph & Carpenter, Serena, 0. "Closing the rural broadband gap: Promoting adoption of the Internet in rural America," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 31(6-7), pages 359-373, July.
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    Cited by:

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    5. Stephen Rodriguez-Elliott & Karl Vachuska, 2023. "Measuring the Digital Divide: A Neighborhood-Level Analysis of Racial Inequality in Internet Speed during the COVID-19 Pandemic," Societies, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-11, April.
    6. Bruno, Giuseppe & Diglio, Antonio & Piccolo, Carmela & Pipicelli, Eduardo, 2023. "A reduced Composite Indicator for Digital Divide measurement at the regional level: An application to the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI)," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    7. Anzhela Popyk & Paula Pustułka, 2023. "Educational Disadvantages During COVID-19 Pandemic Faced by Migrant Schoolchildren in Poland," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 24(2), pages 487-505, June.
    8. Maria Symeonaki & George Filandrianos & Giorgos Stamou, 2022. "Visualising key information and communication technologies (ICT) indicators for children and young individuals in Europe," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 9(1), pages 1-12, December.
    9. Gregory Scott Child & Kim Song, 2023. "Digital Inequities: Promoting Digital Justice during the COVID-19 Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-21, August.
    10. Kaplan, Marcella & Hotle, Susan & Heaslip, Kevin, 2023. "How has COVID-19 impacted customer perceptions and demand for delivery services: An exploratory analysis," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 217-230.

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