The nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization ThinkTennesseeis evaluating the state’s digital divide: ThinkTennessee says thousands of residents are missing outon the economic, health and educational benefits of having broadband Internet service. In some areas, it’s simply unavailable; in others, it’s unaffordable for low-income families. (EBP, the Chattanooga-owned electric utility that provided ultra-fast broadband to local residents, has expressed interest in expanding service to underserved areas, but lawmakers have prevented that.)
Shanna Singh Hughey, the President of ThinkTennessee, and Mariana Rodriguez, the Policy and Research director, join us to talk about the reasons why, and what state legislators have been doing with grants and legislation to address the digital divide.
