Shelley Seale is a journalist, content creator, award-winning writer, author, publication designer, editor and communications professional. She can be reached at www.shelleyseale.com. and Twitter
What’s Happening: For the 3.8 billion people around the world who still lack access to fast and reliable Internet service, they are being left behind. And according to the 2019 Inclusive Internet Index, progress on closing the digital divide has stalled.
Why it Matters:
Connectivity allows people to accomplish many things: talk to friends and family, learn new things, start businesses and find employment. For the billions of people Internet access, Facebook Connectivity has been working with network operators, equipment manufacturers and other partners to develop technologies and new initiatives to change that and provide Internet access globally.
Unfortunately, progress on the digital divide has dimmed. Last year’s Index concluded that while we were still far from achieving full Internet inclusivity, there was cause for optimism. This year’s report, however, revealed that progress has stalled and that the gap between the lowest income countries and all other has grown.
