Digitally Divided: Access Inequalities are Pandemic

DIGITALLY DIVIDED:

ACCESS INEQUALITIES ARE PANDEMIC

By Matthias Sturm // PhD Candidate in Education, Simon Fraser University and Christine Pinsent-Johnson // Organizational Development Consultant, AlphaPlus

The COVID19 pandemic and limited facetoface interactions with community organizations, education providers, government services and consumer services have raised concerns that marginalized citizens may not be able to mitigate the effects of the digital divide on their lives. More and more of our interactions with government and community services, our workplace, financial institutions and other businesses are taking place online. But differences in income, age, education, immigration and migration status, as well as urban or rural location, lead to disparities in our Internet access.1

LIMITED INTERNET ACCESS AMONG LEARNERS

National statistics do not reflect the unknown number of Canadians accessing the Internet using payperuse and limited data plans or public WiFi. A regional survey found that 23% of adults in Kitchener used public WiFi.2 When public WiFi is the primary means of connecting to the Internet or when it is used to supplement limited access, people have to spend a great deal of time, effort and planning to get online. They are also more vulnerable to security and privacy violations. They are taking risks by exposing their personal information and transactions online. Lowincome individuals rely more on mobile devices, rather than home computers, as the primary means by which they access the Internet.3 Complex activities, such as filling out an online form, using a learning management platform or conducting online research, are challenging. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Ontario Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) centres have estimated that 55% of learners likely had no Internet access at home, while 27% had limited connectivity, using cell phones and limited services.4

LIMITED INTERNET ACCESS AMONG EDUCATORS

In Ontario, a 2018 TrendSpire survey had already identified issues related to online connectivity, activities and advantages. The experiences of lowincome adults can also be seen in some of the centres they turn to for support. Prior to the pandemic, 39% of centres were experiencing connectivity issues. More than half (52%) of the approximately 280 respondents reported that they needed additional training and support to integrate educational technology. An even greater number (62%) expressed a need for training to integrate mobile technology, the devices that many learners rely on. They also reported not being able to make good decisions about new devices and software because they had not had the opportunity to use them.

1 Michael Haight, Anabel Quan-Haase and Bradley Corbett. “Revisiting the Digital Divide in Canada: The Impact of Demographic Factors on Access to the Internet, Level of Online Activity, and Social Networking Site Usage,” Information, Communication & Society, Volume 17, Number 4 (2014), pages 503–519. 2 Jackie Sharkey, “Wi-Fi hotspot loans from Kitchener, Ont. library a Canadian first,” CBC News, October 8, 2015, https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/kitchener-library-lends-portable-wifi-1.3258791. 3 Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, “Communications Monitoring Report 2018,” last modified July 29, 2019, https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/publications/reports/policymonitoring/2018/cmr1.htm. 4 Christine Pinsent-Johnson, “Results from our remote delivery survey now available,” AlphaPlus, October 7, 2020, https://alphaplus.ca/download/shift-remote-delivery-report/.

SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE PANDEMIC, ONTARIO LITERACY AND BASIC SKILLS (LBS) CENTRES HAVE ESTIMATED THAT 55% OF LEARNERS LIKELY HAD NO INTERNET ACCESS AT HOME, WHILE 27% HAD LIMITED CONNECTIVITY, USING CELL PHONES AND LIMITED SERVICES.

THE SITUATION IN RURAL AREAS ACCESS INEQUALITIES ARE PANDEMIC

In April 2020, rural download speeds were nearly 12 times slower, and Internet speeds have fallen for rural users and increased for urban users.5 Jane Wouda, an instructor at a regional training and learning centre, says, “It feels like a lot of the world is managing to get going, but a lot of our learners feel stuck.”6 According to the AlphaPlus summer 2020 survey, LBS centre educators had to use several different modes of communication and instruction, including print and electronic assignments, phone calls, emails and online instruction.7

For example, the Centre de formation pour adultes de Greenstone uses Zoom and Google Meet to allow learners to continue their courses virtually. But those who don’t have Internet access at home can no longer connect to a network at other institutions because of lockdown. France Martineau, the centre's director, said that their staff was working tirelessly, even during COVID19, and Inoussa Pempeme, an educator at the centre's Geraldton location, said that he was able to adjust well with respect to delivering training. He noted that "the biggest challenge was to move from inperson learning to the onlineonly learning environment required in light of the circumstances." and that they were able to meet this challenge by anticipating connectivity issues, helping learners to connect and showing them how to turn off their cameras to optimize the quality of their connection. The centre gives learners who are not comfortable with the virtual delivery method practical assignments to do at home and bring back for correction. The centre also calls learners once a week in an effort to break isolation.8 The pandemic has exposed underlying social inequalities in Canada. “When something like the COVID19 pandemic hits, we really see what happens when you don’t prioritize it [social inequalities],” says Laura Tribe, OpenMedia’s Executive Director.9 The opportunities that allowed people to supplement their limited and precarious digital access disappeared during lockdown. People who are most in need frequently have to choose from among the basic needs they can afford. The CRTC declared broadband Internet access as a basic telecommunications service in 2016.10 We join Laura Tribe in hoping that, “At the end of all of this, we’re going to see a really big shift in people’s understanding of what that digital divide looks like.”11 t

5 Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA), “New internet performance data shows the staggering scale of Canada’s urban-rural digital divide,” GlobeNewswire, May 8, 2020. http://www. globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/05/08/2030417/0/en/New-internet-performance-data-shows-the-staggering-scale-of-Canada-s-urban-rural-digital-divide.html. 6 Giacomo Panico, “Without internet, rural adult students feeling shut out,” CBC News, June 3, 2020. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/rural-students-training-internet-challenges-renfrew-1.5595519. 7 See footnote 4. 8 Individual communications with France Martineau and Inoussa Pempeme, January 26 and February 1, 2021, respectively. 9 Adam Jacobsen, “Internet is the only lifeline they have: Canada needs to confront ‘digital divide’ amid COVID-19 crisis,” CBC Radio, March 27, 2020. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/spark/workingfrom-home-data-surge-a-balancing-act-for-isps-tech-expert-1.5511650/internet-is-the-only-lifeline-they-have-canada-needs-to-confront-digital-divide-amid-covid-19-crisis-1.5513206. 10 Matthew Kupfer, “CRTC declares broadband internet access a basic service,” CBC News, December 21, 2016, https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/crtc-internet-essential-service-1.3906664. 11 See footnote 9.