During the pandemic, one of the biggest topics in discussions around racial equity in tech was the digital divide. 96,000 homes in Baltimore were without internet access at the beginning of the pandemic. In Maryland, that number is 520,000, and 40% of that number represents Black households.
That translates to a severe and disproportionate lack of access in an increasingly digital world. A year ago, Baltimore’s Mayor Brandon Scott announced the creation of the Mayor’s Office of Broadband and Digital Equity. There was a lot of excitement about what this meant for bridging the stark digital divide in Baltimore.
A year later, we checked in with Director of Broadband and Digital Equity Jason Hardebeck and local stakeholders about the reality of trying to achieve that dream of closing the digital divide.
Baltimore readers: How did you feel when you first heard that the office was being established? And how do you feel about the office now, a year later?
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