Page 30 - BusinessWest March 3, 2021
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  Technology
A Critical Gap
The Digital Divide Is Holding Too Many People Back
 MBy Joseph Bednar
argaret Tantillo clearly remembers — hon- estly, who doesn’t? — the day Gov. Charlie Baker started shutting down the economy a year ago this month.
As the executive director of Dress for Suc- cess Western Massachusetts, an organization dedicated to the
economic empowerment of women, she started calling partici- pants in the days that followed, asking what issues they were having. One that kept coming up was access to the internet.
“If people are not connected, they’re going to be left behind in terms of being able to participate in the workforce,” Tantillo said.
So, identifying digital equity as connectivity, access to equip- ment, and the knowledge and ability to use software, Dress for Success enlisted a group of volunteers to form a digital task force, providing one-on-one coaching for about 40 women and providing more than 250 hours on the phone coaching.
“For the most part, we’re helping people operate on Zoom
so they can participate in training and apply for jobs and inter- view virtually,” she said — just one way internet connectivity is a lifeline for people in these times.
Or, conversely, how lack of it can have a crushing impact.
It’s an issue that has received more attention during the pandemic, as tens of millions of Americans have struggled with remote learning, telehealth, and the ability to work from home because they lack access to fast, reliable internet service.
This ‘digital divide,’ as its commonly known, is not a new phenomenon, but the way COVID-19 has laid bare the problem is forcing lawmakers and others to see it in a new light.
“There are still communities in Western Mass. that don’t have high-speed internet access, or internet at all,” said state Sen. Eric Lesser, who has long championed this cause. “Frankly, in the year 2021, that’s a national embarrassment.”
State leaders haven’t ignored the issue, including tens of mil- lions of dollars for infrastructure in bond authorizations over multiple budgets and economic-development bills, Lesser said, and Gov. Baker has set a goal to reach every community.
 30 MARCH 3, 2021
TECHNOLOGY
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