Tyler Cooper Of BroadbandNow On The Digital Divide and Why & How We Should Close It
An Interview With Monica Sanders
It takes a village. Solving the digital divide is going to require a concerted effort between federal and local governments, residents, the private sector, and advocacy groups. There is no silver bullet. We need to address this issue at every level, because it affects all of us.
Digital inequality reinforces existing social disparities, demanding considerable efforts to acknowledge and address this pressing issue. In this interview series, we are talking to business leaders, policymakers, think tanks and experts on this topic to share their insights and stories about “How Companies and Policymakers Are Taking Action and Can Further Contribute to Closing the Digital Divide.” As part of this series, I had the pleasure to interview Tyler Cooper.
Tyler Cooper is the Editor-in-Chief at BroadbandNow Research. He has more than a decade of experience in the telecom industry, and has been writing about broadband issues such as the digital divide, net neutrality, cybersecurity and internet access since 2015.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to ‘get to know you’. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?
I grew up in the Dallas area alongside the internet. The “web” as we know it today was born in 1993, as was I. I was fortunate enough to have access right from the beginning, and it shaped so much of my character, interests, and path in life.
Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
So many books…so little time. I’m a big fiction fan, and I grew with the works of Tolkien providing much of my inner landscape. His stories ultimately offered the idea that one person can make a tangible impact on the world, even when they feel inconsequential.
Do you have a favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life or your work?
“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” I think this Tolkien quote in particular has always stuck with me. It’s a simplifying formula of sorts. In life, and especially when trying to solve systemic issues, the amount of things we seemingly must decide can feel overwhelming to the fullest extent. Ultimately though, all we have is the present, and all we can do is decide which path will lead to the most good for ourselves and for others.
Ok, thank you. Now let’s move to the main focus of our interview. How would you define the Digital Divide? Can you explain or give an example?
The digital divide refers to the ongoing, longstanding disparity between those who have an adequate internet connection and those who do not. The issue has existed for as long as the web itself has, and it essentially has two major factors underpinning it; access and affordability.
The access divide refers to those with infrastructure in place to take advantage of a broadband connection, and those who do not. There are millions of Americans who simply have no real way to get connected, and this is a severe problem that we must address with urgency as we progress further into the digital era.
On the other side of the spectrum, we have the affordability gap. Many Americans have access to the internet, but cannot afford it due to a wide variety of reasons. Addressing this problem is less straightforward, and involves things like improving the local competitive landscape and creating and facilitating low-income options for broadband like the Affordable Connectivity Program.
Can you tell our readers a bit about your experience working with initiatives to close the digital divide? Can you share a story with us?
One thing I’ve been focused on over the past few years is working to better understand how bad data at the measurement level has led to a lack of progress on closing the digital divide on the ground. The issue is so bad that we estimated in 2020 that double as many Americans might not have access to a connection as the FCC claimed at the time.
By failing to measure the scope of the issue accurately, we have made startlingly little progress on closing the gap over the last decade. Much of my work is geared toward trying to uncover these failures, and shine a light on how they might be improved with better industry transparency and measurement that is reflective of reality.
This may be obvious to you, but it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you articulate to our readers a few reasons why it is so important to create change in this area?
The internet is no longer a luxury item. The pandemic proved this to all of us. It’s effectively a prerequisite for modern living, and its involvement in our lives is only growing. Those without a connection are already being left behind today. The future is being created online — are we willing to exclude millions of people over something so solvable?
What specific actions has your company or organization taken to address the digital divide, and how do you ensure that your efforts are making a positive impact in the communities you serve?
At BroadbandNow, our primary focus is on shining a light on policy and logistical issues surrounding the digital divide. The way we do this is often through combining public and private datasets into actionable insights for consumers and policymakers alike.
We’ve achieved this through our national audits of broadband availability data, as well as our reporting on the disparities that exist within the industry and in the country as a whole.
What are some of the challenges that individuals or communities face when trying to bridge the digital divide?
For millions of Americans, barriers to getting (and staying) connected to the internet are everywhere. Millions of Americans simply do not have an adequate option for broadband available to them. Millions of others have one, but do not subscribe to it for affordability reasons.
Beyond this, digital literacy is another barrier to taking advantage of all that the internet has to offer. The landscape of the internet is vast and ever-changing. We need to ensure that resources exist for those who need help to take full advantage of everything it has to offer, now and in the increasingly-digital future.
What role do you see technology companies playing in closing the digital divide, and what steps can they take to ensure that their products and services are accessible to all?
ISPs have an essential role to play in closing the digital divide. In my view, companies have a responsibility to reduce and eliminate barriers to broadband adoption wherever possible. This can mean keeping prices low and speeds high, but it also means working with state and local governments to utilize the historic amount of federal funding being distributed now to ensure that infrastructure gets deployed where it is needed most.
Because of investment coming from the federal government, we have funding for great access to infrastructure and digital skills training. In your view, what other policy changes are needed to address the digital divide? How can companies and policymakers work together to implement these changes?
I think one of the most important things we need to prioritize at the federal level is creating the proper incentives for encouraging a fair and equitable broadband ecosystem in every community across the U.S.
The BEAD grant initiative is going to be the defacto law of the land when it comes to broadband deployment over the next several years, and it is vital that we do not waste this once-in-a-generation opportunity to finally close the infrastructure divide and bring everyone in America fully into the digital age with a connection that serves them not just today, but in the future as well.
We are already in Web3.0. What should we be doing as leaders to ensure the next iteration(s) of the Web are green, accessible and beneficial to as many people as possible?
Concepts like the democratization of the web only really apply when everyone has a seat at the table. In order to ensure that happens, we need to recognize that access to the internet should be a human right. We are essentially building what amounts to a collective consciousness, and it should be representative of humanity as a whole, not just those who can afford to be represented.
This is the signature question we ask in most of our interviews. What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
1 . It takes a village. Solving the digital divide is going to require a concerted effort between federal and local governments, residents, the private sector, and advocacy groups. There is no silver bullet. We need to address this issue at every level, because it affects all of us.
2 . What gets measured gets done. For years, we haven’t measured the issue of the digital divide correctly. Recent efforts to drill down further are paying off, and we need to keep this lesson in mind going forward into the BEAD era.
3 . Do what you can, when you can. Sometimes, the great can become the enemy of the good when it comes to improving broadband access. Little measures add up, and we should ensure that we are working on this issue across all levels; federal, state, local, and even hyper-local.
4 . Sometimes the simplest answer is the best one. The broadband industry is vast, complex, and confusing, much like the web itself. Despite this, intuition goes a long way here. If something feels like it’s an easy fix, it likely is…or can be. But all too often, there are roadblocks and barriers in place (sometimes purposefully) that make it more difficult to create the change we want to see.
5 . Remember the human element. It’s so easy for those of us who spend a lot of time talking and writing about broadband to get lost in the technical, logistical aspects. It is vital to remember that behind all of this is a very humanistic set of values. The internet is the foundation of the future we are building for ourselves, and we need everyone to be able to benefit.
What role can individuals play in closing the digital divide, and what steps can they take to support these efforts?
Individuals can do the most good by paying attention to and voting for leaders who advocate for their best interest when it comes to broadband policy, as well as working on a local level to help improve the digital inclusivity of their cities. These individual actions can truly make a difference, but ultimately, like many other issues, systemic change is what will be needed to close the divide once and for all.
How can our readers follow you online?
You can follow our work at https://broadbandnow.com/research. My LinkedIn is here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-cooper-6718a6114
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
About the Interviewer: Monica Sanders JD, LL.M, is the founder of “The Undivide Project”, an organization dedicated to creating climate resilience in underserved communities using good tech and the power of the Internet. She holds faculty roles at the Georgetown University Law Center and the Tulane University Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy. Professor Sanders also serves on several UN agency working groups. As an attorney, Monica has held senior roles in all three branches of government, private industry, and nonprofits. In her previous life, she was a journalist for seven years and the recipient of several awards, including an Emmy. Now the New Orleans native spends her time in solidarity with and championing change for those on the frontlines of climate change and digital divestment. Learn more about how to join her at: www.theundivideproject.org.
