Loretta Mester, Essay: Reflections, Now Is the Time to Close the Digital Divide

No economic information was shared.

“Eliminating economic disparities that have lasted over generations is no easy task. Right now, lower-income households have less access to high-quality education and job-skills programs, which means they have less access to higher-paying jobs and job security. That leads to less access to high-quality housing and so lower access to credit, which means less access to education, and around it goes. Breaking the cycle will take concrete actions. One of these actions is ensuring that households in both rural and urban areas have access to reliable high-speed broadband service, which is rapidly becoming a necessity of modern life. With new federal funding available, now is the time to close the digital divide. It will take continued efforts on the part of private-sector companies, philanthropic organizations, community development groups, and all levels of government to ensure that this funding is deployed effectively. But those efforts will pay off in creating a more inclusive economy from which everyone can benefit.”