The COVID-19 pandemic drove Americans out of offices, schools, shops, and medical facilities, and into their homes. For those that had adequate connectivity at home, they continued to work, to learn, to shop and to receive healthcare online. For those with no or poor connectivity, they suffered when in-person options for these activities were shut down. Assuming the use of online services will not fall back to pre-pandemic levels, the connectivity inequities amplified by the pandemic will persist.
In this talk, UC Berkeley Economics alumnus and adjunct professor, Glenn Woroch, who has recently served as Chief Economist of the Federal Communications Commission, explores how the pandemic deepened the “digital divide” that exists in this country, and the challenges facing industry and government in pursuit of universal broadband connectivity. It will survey the various legislative, regulatory, and private policies that are being implemented to close the connectivity gap. It will examine the available evidence on the effectiveness of these programs in search of insights as to how we might ensure all Americans have access to the full benefits of digital connectivity.
Speaker: Glenn Woroch, adjunct professor of economics at UC Berkeley and the former chief economist of the Federal Communications Commission.
Moderator and co-host: Matt Lynde '79, '88 PhD, Senior Vice President at Cornerstone Research
12 июл 2024
