The Digital Divide Isn't Getting Any Younger

The Digital Equity Act, an element of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, provides $2.75 billion for states’ digital equity efforts under three programs. States are currently waiting on this funding to ensure that all people and communities have the skills, technology, and capacity they need to fully participate in digital life. Older adults—aged 65+—face numerous barriers to robust digital access, adoption, and use. This funding, if dispersed, could help close the digital divide for older adults and ensure digital agency for all. Through research with partners focused on the digital divide for older adults, the Benton Institute has examined the digital divide for seniors, how states plan to implement digital equity funding to support them, and the tools all digital inclusion practitioners can use to help close this divide.