Bridging the Digital Divide in the Us: Planning Innovative State and Local Approaches

The US faces a deep digital divide which cuts across both urban and rural lines, but is most marked in rural, low income, and minority communities. This book presents a multi-level governance framework which explores how local leaders use policy opportunity and community resilience to address inequity in broadband infrastructure. Cases from communities across the US are profiled to show how local and regional initiatives address the digital divide - how they harness local resources, state and federal funding, and how they navigate regulatory restrictions and financial constraints. Special attention is given to rural and Indigenous communities, where the technological, organizational, and funding challenges are greatest. The federal policy landscape for broadband is changing, and this book provides clear insights on how policy can support the people and places left behind. This book is essential for planners and those studying or working in rural development, rural studies, and community development.

The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial (CC-BY-NC) 4.0 license.

Mildred E. Warner is a Professor of City and Regional Planning and of Global Development and directs the Polson Institute of Global Development. She is an expert on state and local government policy and has published widely on infrastructure, economic development, finance, service delivery and community development.

Natassia Bravo is a Ph.D. Candidate in City and Regional Planning. Her research focuses on infrastructure policy, especially rural broadband access. She has published popular reports on broadband policy and local initiative. She and Dr. Warner were winners of the Charles Benton Broadband & Society Prize, in 2023. Her research focuses on infrastructure policy, especially rural broadband access, and she has published popular reports on broadband policy and local initiative.

Duxixi (Ada) Shen is an infrastructure planning consultant and former researcher at Cornell whose research focuses on bridging the digital divide in a wide array of communities including Colorado, Maine, Alaska and the Choctaw Indian Nation. She received her master’s degree in Regional Planning from Cornell.