The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, one of the nation’s leading research and public policy institutions whose work focuses primarily on issues of importance to African Americans and other people of color, hosted an event last week to commemorate the release of the their latest study, “National Minority Broadband Adoption: Comparative Trends in Adoption, Acceptance and Use.”
FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn was the first speaker and didn’t miss the opportunity to congratulate the Joint Center on what she described as a “thoughtful and thorough report of value.” Clyburn noted that the report accurately reflects that different communities have different needs and interests and that the study is a key piece of the puzzle as the FCC finalizes the National Broadband Plan.
The FCC’s National Broadband Director Blair Levin spoke next, acknowledging the role of USTelecom and the broadband providers as soon as he took the stage. Levin believes that although price can be a factor, people need to have the skill set to really embrace broadband for all of the purposes that broadband offers, from applying for jobs and social services online to the using the latest e-reader. The issue of making sure non-adopters understand the relevance of broadband to their everyday lives was a message that resonated loudly during another event last week that looked at a recent broadband survey conducted by former Obama campaign pollster Cornell Belcher.
Dr. Jon Gant, a Fellow with the Joint Center and lead researcher on the project, spoke next to present his findings, noting the use of a longitudinal database to analyze findings and statistically compare minorities. Overall, Dr. Gant found the following factors most influence whether minorities use broadband:
- Relevance
- Ease of use
- Social Influence
- Resources to support use
Of course, much like the recent report by FCC Consumer Research Director John Horrigan (who was also on hand to discuss both studies), Dr. Gant finds that among minorities, there is indeed a gap in adoption by education levels, a heavy dependence on public access to computers, and that some non-adopters are unaware of broadband availability.
NextGenWeb livestreamed the event and you can watch the archive here. Also, click below to watch our interview with Dr. Jon Gant and a reaction from Niambi Jarvis, a leading advocate for connecting minority women with power of technology.
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April 14th, 2010 at 5:16 pm
[...] Two key themes presented themselves during the panel discussion – investment and digital literacy. Elva Lima talked about how private investment in broadband infrastructure is helping minority communities by giving them affordable access to broadband. She also stressed the importance of partnerships between broadband providers and local organizations to ensure that the community understands the value of broadband. This is especially significant in that recent studies show “relevance” as a primary barrier to adoption. [...]