Tech Tank: Will VP Harris close the gaps for the digitally invisible if elected?

Billions of people around the world lack internet access, and it was not until the pandemic that many found out. As the presidential election edges forward, one of the possible advantages of Harris campaign might be the starting investments in national infrastructure, including access to the high-speed internet. Time will tell if she picks up the gavel that she started in her role of Vice President, or if she will explore the challenges of national, online connectivity as a major prerogative if elected. The timing is perfect for a new Brookings Press book by Nicol Turner Lee called “Digitally Invisible: How the Internet is Creating the New Underclass“. The book explores the historic and persistent trends of digital disparities affecting rural and urban residents, and provides a pathway toward a more just, digital society. The latter involves improved and perhaps more radical attention to what universal access to communications means to millions of people, along with calls to action, which guarantee that no school, community, or worker will be left offline. 

In this episode of the TechTank podcast, co-host, Darrell West sat down with Nicol Turner Lee, TechTank co-host and author of “Digitally Invisible,” to discuss her new book and share her thoughts on what can be done by policymakers, industry, and civil society to narrow the widening disparities that exist around connectivity. 

Listen to the episode and subscribe to the TechTank Podcast on Apple, Spotify, or Acast.