Bridging the Gap: The Digital Divide in Rural America and Its Impact on Black Women and Families

Bridging the Gap: The Digital Divide in Rural America and Its Impact on Black Women and Families

By: Ja’Lia Taylor, Ph.D., Director of Policy, Telecommunications and Technology

In 2025, the fight for digital equity in rural America has reached a critical point. The federal government is now considering legislation that could roll back progress made through previous broadband expansion efforts. Funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) has ended, leaving millions of families without internet subsidies. And proposed changes for states to access the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program could restrict how and where funding is used, threatening to leave rural Black communities even more disconnected. For Black women and families who have long relied on these programs to work, learn, and stay healthy, the stakes have never been higher. This is not just about technology. It is about who gets to participate in the digital economy and who gets left out.

Rural communities across the United States have long faced limited access to essential services. But the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the full extent of the digital divide, revealing how lack of high-speed internet access disproportionately affects rural Black households. According to a 2022 Pew Research Center report, nearly 30% of rural Black Americans lack broadband at home, compared to 17% of white rural residents. For Black women, who often serve as primary caregivers, caregivers, and community leaders, this gap presents daily barriers that compound historical and systemic inequalities.

The consequences of limited high-speed internet access are far-reaching. During the pandemic, Black children in rural communities were more likely to miss school or rely on inadequate mobile hotspots, making it difficult to keep up with virtual classes. Mothers, grandmothers, and guardians were often the ones navigating unstable connections, juggling work, and ensuring their children could learn. For adult learners or entrepreneurs, lack of connectivity meant missing out on job training, online marketplaces, or remote work opportunities. In healthcare, it meant losing access to critical telehealth services, particularly for maternal care and mental health support.

The digital divide goes beyond internet infrastructure. It is also about whether communities have the devices, technical support, and digital literacy to thrive online. For example, a rural Black woman starting a home-based business may need access to reliable Wi-Fi, affordable e-commerce tools, and cybersecurity training. A grandmother caring for grandchildren may need help navigating school portals or applying for benefits online. Local digital inclusion programs are essential to building this capacity, but funding and staffing are often limited, especially in counties with high poverty rates.

Policy advocacy is key. Ensuring that rural broadband initiatives are accountable to Black communities requires representation at the decision-making table. Black women must be included in broadband task forces, equity committees, and infrastructure planning bodies. Community-driven data collection can also challenge flawed federal maps and ensure resources reach the most disconnected areas. Additionally, policies must prioritize ‘last mile’ and ‘middle mile’ investments that connect isolated communities to the broader network infrastructure.

Technology alone cannot address the growing crisis, it must be paired with intentional equity strategies. Federal and state broadband plans must address racial disparities, support local community hubs, and fund local capacity-building. Investments should not only bring connectivity to homes but also bring training, devices, and support into communities. When Black women and families are digitally included, the entire rural economy benefits through increased civic participation, local job creation and economic opportunity, and social resilience.

As federal support begins to unravel under proposed policy changes, the stakes are high. Failing to close the digital divide in rural Black communities threatens to widen existing inequalities and leave generations behind. But with intentional policy, strong community organizing, and investment in Black women’s leadership, this crisis can still become a turning point for justice and innovation. Bridging the digital divide is not just about connecting households to the internet, it is about connecting communities to power, opportunity, and the future.

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