It’s no secret that high-speed Internet connectivity is revolutionizing the economic landscape. Unfortunately, not all consumers have been able to enjoy the benefits afforded by this vital broadband link. African-Americans and other low-income communities have been at a continual disadvantage with regards to access to a reliable Internet connection, thereby impeding their economic progress and leaving them facing continual difficulties in today’s digital world. Fortunately, there is light at the end of the broadband access tunnel. Last week, the National Urban League (NUL) released a report announcing that African-Americans are adopting broadband at an unprecedented pace. The report, “Connecting the Dots: Linking Broadband Adoption to Job Creation and Job Competitiveness,” found that African-Americans have significantly narrowed the gap in adopting broadband technologies, most commonly through the use of high-speed mobile broadband and cellular devices.

The report found that the difference between Caucasians and African Americans with access to broadband at home narrowed significantly from 2009 to 2010, falling 8% year-over-year. In 2010, 56 percent of African Americans had access to broadband at home, compared to 67 percent of Caucasians, an 11 percent difference, while in 2009, the difference between those same groups was 19 percentage points. Much of this improvement can be attributed to the continued adoption of “smart” devices with mobile broadband capabilities.

Politics365 writer Krystal High notes that experts have repeatedly pointed to the relationship between broadband access, technical proficiency, and economic success, which explains why it is so vital that all Americans gain access to the digital age. Sadly, the expansion of the nation’s wireless networks that are fueling the empowerment of the African American community is being threatened by inaction on the part of the federal government. The ever-increasing number of users on the wireless infrastructure is straining capacity. These networks run on spectrum, invisible airwaves allocated by the federal government for use, which means it decides who gets spectrum and for what. It’s paramount that policy makers in Washington, D.C. take action to quickly to provide more spectrum for consumer use. By doing this, they will encourage private sector investment in our mobile broadband infrastructure. Not only will the United States benefit from resulting economic growth, African Americans especially will benefit from increased access, expanded coverage, and improved service and speed.