Tribal and rural digital inclusivity: An examination of broadband access in two neighboring Great Plains states

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic raised greater awareness to ways in which societies have become dependent upon access to technology and the Internet. The shift to remote-only education, in particular, forced the recognition of compounded problems faced by poor and economically disadvantaged families with school-age children. Millions of children, particularly students of color, faced diminished and imperiled progress because of limited or no access to the Internet at home. This exploration concentrates particularly on residents of rural and tribal communities, where insufficient efforts have been made to increase technological advances and access levels to reflect current standards. This article focuses on Digital Inclusivity in rural and tribal areas of two Great Plains states (Kansas and Oklahoma) through a wide-ranging survey and analysis of the challenges and successes of technological leadership, information literacy and public policy development and administration.

User centric metrics for a realistic assessment of broadband services

“…It is worth taking a moment to discuss the options available to underserved communities which might not have the financial, economic, political resources to drive broadband initiatives even though the state and federal governments might provide commercial organizations with the incentives to deliver broadband services in those communities. A good example in the US are tribal areas where lack of broadband access is a significant constraint to the wellbeing of the community (Mack et al, 2022;Blackwater, 2023;Hutto and Wheeler, 2023). These communities must assert their right to assess and track the quality of the services claimed in their name.…”