Trends & Impact Of broadband In The Latino Community.

Broadband has become the new telecommunications standard, and the Hispanic population as a whole has been eager to adopt it. Its impact has been the greatest among those users who are English-speaking, better educated, live in urban centers and have higher incomes. Many Hispanics fit into these categories, but some Hispanics do not.

It is incumbent upon all of us to ensure that no one is left behind as Americans struggle to retain our technological dominance. As technology is a driver of the American economy, so is it a driver for economic empowerment. Facilitating broadband deployment and adoption in the burgeoning Hispanic community should be a policymaking priority.

Several factors must be addressed in order to further deploy broadband services within the Hispanic community:

lower prices, applications geared toward Hispanic youth and businesses, greater accessibility, more online content that is culturally relevant and language appropriate, and training and e-literacy programs to increase the value of computers and the Internet for those Hispanics who are not yet online.

Regardless of preferred language, Internet usage requires a certain degree of competence. It is wholly unlike radio and television—being audio and visual media—and more like newspapers and books. However, with training and experience it can open doors to opportunity and empowerment.

As next generation technologies continue to enter the marketplace, government leaders must ensure that policies encourage widespread access to these technologies, for Hispanics and all Americans, including those who happen to be low income, who live in rural locations, those who are disabled, and those who do not speak
English.

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