The digital divide refers to the gap between those who benefit from the Digital Age and those who don't. This is a key issue of today's society, since it also provokes a distinction between those who can access certain information and those who are unable to do so. In the United States, the people who are not afforded these opportunities live in economically disadvantaged communities.
There is a vast number of negative consequences that come from the lack of access to affordable and efficient fiber optic broadband internet. This is a problem that effects education, healthcare, virtual workforce and public safety. These communities currently do not have a Fiber optic infrastructure and the major internet service providers are not installing the necessary state of the art equipment and infrastructure.
Strategic Alliance Community Development Corporation (SACDC) is prepared to leverage private to public partnerships to fund, install and maintain a state-of-the-art fiber optic broadband network to these communities of underrepresented, under resourced, low to moderate income and people of color. This will create high demand careers of the future, an upgraded “High-Tech” Smart City and infrastructure to last for well over 50 years.
A smart city is a technologically advanced community that requires high speed fiber optic broadband in homes, businesses, public buildings, and roadways for advanced manufacturing, economic development, and education.
In these last few years, there has been a rising demand for high internet connectivity. Furthermore, there was a rise in internet usage due to the COVID-19 pandemic for example rise of remote and hybrid jobs. The Internet has changed the way people live, work, learn, and travel. The rise of internet and connectivity brought about the big data age, this big data is produced when smart devices collect and transmit data. Overtime, these data have improved urban analysis, transportation planning, policy implementations and so on. A rising challenge is the unavailability of internet services in certain disadvantaged communities for example low-income communities, black communities, rural communities etc. This unavailability of internet services causes a digital divide among communities and this divide negatively impacts the socioeconomics and standard of living in these neighborhoods.
There is a vast number of negative consequences that come from the lack of access to affordable and efficient fiber optic broadband internet. This is a problem that effects education, healthcare, virtual workforce and public safety. These communities currently do not have a Fiber optic infrastructure and the major internet service providers are not installing the necessary state of the art equipment and infrastructure.