The Broadband Gap—Who’s Not Online in America Today

Episode 80

PODCAST Read time:
Projects: Broadband Access

Navigate to:

  • Table of Contents
The Broadband Gap—Who’s Not Online in America Today
Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Pandora Download (MP3) Transcript (PDF) RSS New to podcasts?

Stat: 21 million: The number of Americans not connected to broadband internet, according to the Federal Communications Commission.

Story: While most Americans are managing remote work, learning, and even participating in social gatherings online during the pandemic, there are still millions of Americans who don’t have access to high-speed internet where they live. Kathryn de Wit, manager of Pew’s broadband research initiative, explains who’s not online and shares what some states and communities are doing to bridge connectivity gaps.

Related resources:

Progress Made by States in 2019 Is Key to Increasing Broadband

21 Million Americans Still Lack Broadband Connectivity

53% of Americans Say the Internet Has Been Essential During the COVID-19 Outbreak

Digital gap between rural and nonrural America persists

About a quarter of rural Americans say access to high-speed internet is a major problem

State Broadband Policy Explorer

OUR WORK

After the Fact

Subscribe to 'After the Fact'

Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Pandora Spotify

Stay in touch

We want to hear from you. Reach us with your suggestions and thoughts at [email protected] or @pewtrusts on Twitter. You can also rate our show or post a brief review on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and anywhere else you listen or subscribe to the podcast.

'After the Fact' Guests
Kathryn de Wit Project Director
Broadband Access Initiative
America’s Overdose Crisis
America’s Overdose Crisis

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up
Quick View
America’s Overdose Crisis

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up
MEDIA CONTACT
Benny Martinez Officer, Communications 202.540.6456
RELATED
Topics
Infrastructure U.S. State Policy
Projects
Broadband Access
Experts
Kathryn de Wit
Places
United States
Broadband
Broadband
Article May 29, 2020

Who's Not Online in America Today?

Quick View
Broadband
Article May 29, 2020

Having access to reliable, high-speed internet is not a reality for many millions of people across the United States. With so many of Americans’ day-to-day tasks—such as learning and working—relying on broadband access, what are communities doing to get more people connected?

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

A presentation being given by a businesswoman to a group of participants at a business conference.

Fact Sheet

April 12, 2024 Four Plan Features Can Boost 'Retirement Readiness'
An illustration of a couple holding hands walking away from an outline of houses behind them

Podcast

March 22, 2024 Pathways to Homeownership: Housing in America
A landscape with mountains and clouds. BLM Rule Puts Conservation, Other Land Uses on Equal Footing

MORE FROM PEW

An aerial view of a vast wetland, with scattered vegetation visible on sandy islands. In Western Australia, a Conservation Model for the World
A large group of people in formal or traditional attire stands together on a stage, with a digital background depicting marine life and the large text “WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies.” WTO Needs to Redouble Its Effort on Fishing Subsidies
A man in a winter hat and sunglasses kneels on a rocky shoreline in front of a campfire, holding a metal mug with gloved hands. Behind him, in the water, a motorboat is moored to the shore. Cliffs rise on both sides of the water. Why Newfoundland’s South Coast Fjords Are Sacred
An illustration of a couple holding hands walking away from an outline of houses behind them Pathways to Homeownership: Housing in America
Composite image of modern city network communication concept

Learn the Basics of Broadband from Our Limited Series

Sign up for our four-week email course on Broadband Basics
Quick View

How does broadband internet reach our homes, phones, and tablets? What kind of infrastructure connects us all together? What are the major barriers to broadband access for American communities?

Pills illustration
Pills illustration

What Is Antibiotic Resistance—and How Can We Fight It?

Sign up for our four-week email series The Race Against Resistance.
Quick View
Pills illustration

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria, also known as “superbugs,” are a major threat to modern medicine. But how does resistance work, and what can we do to slow the spread? Read personal stories, expert accounts, and more for the answers to those questions in our four-week email series: Slowing Superbugs.