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Healthcare innovations only matter if everyone has reliable access to them. In this episode, industry and government leaders discuss how we can build a more robust broadband infrastructure so that all communities can access digital health solutions.
The United States has many challenges that require improvement, like other health systems throughout the world. Historically, these challenges disproportionately impact distressed communities. Many of us are working to solve these challenges by leveraging digital health and health data solutions. But if we do not innovate from a health equity perspective, then we run the risk of designing solutions that are misaligned with the needs and desires of communities. If you want the right resources to advance healthcare innovations that work for all communities, stay updated with the most cutting-edge information with 21st Century Health. Tune in every other week as host Michael Crawford talks to global health experts, leaders, and innovators to find out what we need to collaborate and co-create healthcare solutions that enhance health and wellbeing for all communities.
Michael Crawford is the Associate Dean for Strategy, Outreach, and Innovation and Founder and Executive Director of Howard University's 1867 Health Innovations Project.
21st Century Health is a production of Howard University’s 1867 Health Innovations Project and Voxtopica.
Michael Crawford (00:05):
I am Michael Crawford from the Howard University. I am also the Founder and Executive Director of Howard University's 1867 Health Innovations Project, where we are looking for innovative solutions to address longstanding health challenges. This is 21st Century Health.
(00:22):
Digital health is paving the way for critical health access, and health data is helping inform how we develop new solutions to enhance patient outcomes and access. These innovations are changing lives.
Mignon Clyburn (00:35):
The combining of technology and wellness care is revolutionizing the healthcare industry, from providing virtual support for physical and mental healthcare and data collection any time, to anyone, from anywhere. Applied and adopted evenly and free of historic biases, these digital tools can give providers that 360 degree view of one's healthcare status, empower patients with previously unprecedented control over their individual health.
(01:12):
This could lead to better informed decisions, earlier diagnoses, greater access, because these tools allow care to be realized from any place at any time over multiple devices of your choice. It will allow for more personalization or customization, increased quality of care, which is essential, reduced cost, which is a must, and fewer inefficiencies, which should be our North Star.
Michael Crawford (01:44):
That was Mignon Clyburn, the former commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission. These innovations have the power to change health outcomes for individuals and communities across the United States, but we have a dilemma. Innovations can make a positive impact, but only if they reach the people and communities who need them the most. Does our nation have the infrastructure to support and sustain these innovations to ensure all communities benefit, especially the most vulnerable? I'm following up with Mignon Clyburn.
(02:16):
Mignon, as a former commissioner of the FCC, you have seen the evolution of technology and how it affects communities. You have also witnessed incredible innovations in digital health, but digital health faces a big challenge when it comes to infrastructure. Can you tell me, what are some of the limitations of digital health when it comes to infrastructure in our current healthcare landscape?
Mignon Clyburn (02:43):
Access. It's the A word. Access. And it's a second A word, affordability. So we talk about the promise of all of these technologies and the promise of being connected, but what we don't hover over enough is the reality of these disconnects, these unevennesses that we have in our society when it comes to basic plans. Your mobile plan is not the same as mine, I guarantee you, because it depends on when we came on the system, what type of device we have, all of the above, and what you can afford. So there's an unevenness there.
(03:24):
It depends on where you live in this country. And it's not just a rule divide. We like to point to the rule divide. Proportionally, it is significant. You've got 22.3% of Americans in rural areas, and almost 30% of Americans on tribal lands, that they lack that basic access to broadband, particularly when it comes to speed, compared to 1.5% of Americans in urban areas.
(03:53):
But you've got some urban areas, that 1.5% is a large number. And numerically it's larger than the rural areas. Proportionally not, but numerically it is. So when you talk about all of this unevenness when it comes to access to care, when it comes, let me just put it out there, these are not my words, but others redlining charges that there are some communities that have robust infrastructure and others that have nothing when it comes to maybe different governments approving or not approving, or going slow on applications and green lighting projects. You've got all of those things that make for an unevenness when it comes to access and when it comes to a broadband availability.
Michael Crawford (04:44):
I think you alluded to this regarding broadband, but I want to ask the question, what is the state of broadband in the US?
Mignon Clyburn (04:53):
Uneven. Now, if you were to look at the numbers and compare them, if you were to look at what broadband now, which our research arm says 77% of us have access to low price wireless broadband compared to 50% if you were to look at that two years ago. And that doesn't mean continual, because access could mean fiber outside my home, but that doesn't mean that I have adopted broadband or is truly available to me.
(05:30):
And low price, a lot of people define low price as $60 or less a month. Now if you are on fixed income or if you have unevenness in your job or economic flows or status, $60 a month could be a heavy lift. And I'm not talking in most cases robust broadband. I'm talking about very sufficient to good broadband. So you've got all of the barriers that I mentioned, that might be political or environmental, but a lot of it is economics.
(06:01):
The economics of whether you can afford something monthly, and the economics for the company to provide or to build that infrastructure in an area that is perceived to be low income. So they're going to assume that they're going to have high take rates, or in an area so wide and vast that you have more corn stalks than people or more cows than people. And the monies or the business case according to the company does not work as well.
(06:33):
Now all of this is absent of any type of government intervention, but those are the classic initial barriers that contribute to that unevenness, in which we see too often in too many communities, especially communities of color.
Michael Crawford (06:48):
There are a lot of people and companies trying to address this infrastructure challenge. And you mentioned policy and choices. I want to talk a little bit about policy for a second. What role does policy play in expanding broadband access to all communities?
Mignon Clyburn (07:04):
It could be a barrier for us to move to the next level or an incredible enhancer. I'll start with a positive. If you remember back in late 2020, Congress passed or created this emergency broadband benefit program, which was a short term fix. It started up and running the first quarter of 2021, that allowed or enabled those who were eligible low income households, to receive a discount up to $50 a month for broadband service in certain connected devices.
(07:43):
Later that year, last year in November, we established a more permanent affordable connectivity program. And I say more permanent because it is not permanent in my eyes, and the eyes of many. So that's a $14.2 billion benefit that will enable some of those same families to receive up to $30 a month. So it's a little less of relief from that broadband bill.
(08:06):
You've got the National Telecommunications Information Agency. A lot of people talk about the FCC, where I spent what seems like a professional lifetime, but the NTIA, it has six broadband programs. And people are less familiar with that agency, but I think we need to do more homework there. The largest program is called the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment program. That's $42.45 billion that will be distributed to states and their projects to support this infrastructure. They've got a digital equity grant program and a connected minority communities pilot program. And that particular program across MSIs, or minority serving institutions, I think that's about $240 million that will be distributed over the course of, I am assuming this year and some of next year.
(08:59):
That is how the government is helping to fuel some of this, but it's a partnership. The government can't or won't afford to do it alone. Private industry is going to ask for help where the business case will not be made. You've got nonprofits that are providing some economic bandwidth or other opportunities, including to encourage innovative players that are not the usual suspects or the usual companies in this internet service provider space, to take part. And of course, you have value partners, who are needed to navigate this.
(09:34):
So those are the types of things that I know have to happen. The partnerships. The usual political stickiness that we think is cute and it makes headlines, we need to move away from that, at least in this space, because it's costing our society heavily. It is costly for me not to be connected and have to go to a hospital or a clinic or somewhere for something that could happen online or remotely.
(10:05):
It is costly, it is less efficient. It doesn't work well for me if I have a job that doesn't allow me to do that, but now I'm going to get sick so I will be less efficient, and then that economic burden is passed on to my employer, to my family and so on. So it really makes sense for us to look at these digital opportunities and to really go out of our way to make sure it is even more even and equitable to all in our society.
Michael Crawford (10:37):
There's a lot of discussion around 5G. People are wondering if 5G will help or hinder access to broadband. Is 5G a solution? And based on your experience, what role will 5G play in facilitating greater broadband access?
Mignon Clyburn (10:52):
Now, that's an interesting question, because I used to say that too many in our space barely have 3G, and now we're talking about 5G, right? So what the heck is 5G? We keep talking about it. What are we talking about when we say 5G, and why is my mobile provider claiming to have it even though my life doesn't seem to have changed too much when it comes to my device?
(11:18):
So those of us who are lucky enough to have 4G or 4G LTE, which is the fourth generation of cellular networks, the promise of what they call 5G, it claims that our networks speeds will be up to a hundred times faster, with little to no delays, lags or gaps, that we will have greater bandwidth, more services like those wireless cars that I'm still not comfortable with. Now, that is fabulous if it's evenly deployed and made available, particularly in rural communities.
(11:52):
It's important when we talk about digital or connected health, because if I can get results faster, if I can upload and be connected to whatever that device that's monitoring, and my doctor can get it in minutes if I'm having some type of crisis, if we can realize or use AI to almost anticipate or recognize certain symptoms or certain trends that will allow for either a diagnosis or at least an awareness that didn't happen before.
(12:24):
So all of these things are important when it comes to artificial intelligence and machine learning. If we are going to bridge these gaps to include something that I know that bothers you, there's an incredible painful strain when it comes to personnel in health, and when that strain that we saw exacerbated during the most recent pandemic, when people couldn't get to the facility and nobody could see them, where they were waiting in rooms or emergency centers, literally dying in emergency rooms, all of those things call out for a 5G solution.
(13:04):
So it's not just trying to keep up with other countries that are moving ahead, it's really trying to identify the deficiencies that we do have, particularly with healthcare providers. I think it is an incredible necessity, particularly for those communities in an analog position that are not getting the type of outcomes, treatments and attention that they deserve.
Michael Crawford (13:34):
5G presents a unique solution, but like Mignon said, it has to be deployed evenly. I spoke with someone else about the potential in using 5G to expand access to underserved communities, Dr. David Rhew. Dr. Rhew is the Chief Medical Officer of Microsoft, and he has seen the evolution of 5G.
David Rhew (13:53):
When we think of 5G, we just think of it more in terms of, it's going to enhance these capabilities that we already have. But when we look at specifically communities of color, who don't have reliable broadband access, 5G may represent that unique opportunity for us to be able to enable them to receive care through the internet that oftentimes requires a higher level of broadband width.
(14:21):
And this will allow us to be able to do things such as, not only telehealth visits, but remote patient monitoring, and a lot of other things that we all recognize are essential components of a digital health strategy, that can be applied through multiple different areas. And when we think about where these opportunities lie, certainly rural but also urban. A lot of what we're talking about are individuals that may have access but they're not able to afford it. Almost everyone has a phone. I think close to 80% of people have a smartphone. And that may end up becoming one of the ways that we can democratize the healthcare, through the 5G networks.
Michael Crawford (15:05):
I am following up with Dr. Rhew, because I'm curious if 5G is the only solution to expanding broadband access. What else needs to happen from an infrastructure perspective to make broadband accessible to all?
(15:19):
Dr. Rhew, I first one to ask, in your experience, how have you seen a lack of internet access affect people's health outcomes?
David Rhew (15:28):
One out of five Americans don't have access to affordable broadband. And it disproportionately impacts individuals of color, those that are living in rural populations. And so what we find is that this impacts a good number of people, and there's been a significant amount of effort to change that paradigm, because during the pandemic, one of the things that we saw was that one of the major risk factors for death or mortality during COVID 19 was lack of internet access. And this was whether it was even broadband dial up or cellular.
(16:03):
So it's incredible that this was one of the independent risk factors for death. So we know that it has a huge impact on clinical outcomes, and the fact that one out of five are not getting access to this is something that needs to be fixed. So the US Government, particularly under the Biden/Harris administration, has launched the Internet for All initiative, which is essentially a $42.45 billion broadband access program, which is allowing that information to flow to the states so that they can then apply it to their different areas.
Michael Crawford (16:38):
What other infrastructure is required to ensure greater broadband access for all communities?
David Rhew (16:45):
Well, one of the things that we did at Microsoft that has been extremely helpful in helping us to understand a problem was, we initiated the Airband Initiative close to about five years ago. And this was an initiative to bring access to affordable broadband to everyone across the world. And what we learned in that process was that the core element of how we address this access to broadband issue is at the local level.
(17:14):
Understanding what resources and capabilities do individuals have access to that would allow them to be able to then basically gain access to the internet? And that was something that we realized would require a level of public/private partnership that oftentimes doesn't exist, a certain level of incentives for organizations to be able to invest in these areas, and as well as training. And so what we're realizing is that it's very local, it's hyper local. We need to understand, what are the different ways that we can impact?
(17:50):
So I'll give you a few examples. One of them, in some cases, is just simply access to myfi devices. And so giving individuals access to these myfi devices can help provide that broadband access. Other places, we have no infrastructure to even have access to any of that, so maybe what we have to do is, we have to rely on the 5G networks that are now being set up. So rather than it being broadband access, let's leverage the cellular networks, let's start looking at ways that we can perhaps even use things such as TV white space, in which case we would need a new device that would be able to access that.
(18:26):
And so there's a lot of different strategies, all of which with different players, very local, and different challenges. But what we found is that by working together at the local level with support oftentimes from the federal government through funding, we are able to overcome those barriers.
Michael Crawford (18:42):
There's been a lot of talk about data plans related to cell phones. How will the mobile phone and data plan segment evolve to accommodate a growing digital health ecosystem?
David Rhew (18:55):
I think we're going to start seeing that there's an appreciation that everyone is in a slightly different starting point. Some of these plans are designed for consumers that can afford to utilize data at a higher level, and you pay certain amounts. But we are also recognizing that there are different segments of the population for whom they need different plans. Seniors, we started to see plans that are specifically designed around senior needs, but will in all likelihood start recognizing that there are more segmentations, specifically as we look at underserved populations, vulnerable populations. And we will probably see continued segmentation that allows us to be able to provide plans that meet the needs of all these individuals.
Michael Crawford (19:42):
I want to bring in the topic of digital literacy. It is a critical component of optimizing the use of digital solutions. What role will digital literacy play in expanding access to healthcare, as well as new digital solutions?
David Rhew (19:55):
Well, digital literacy is, once you actually gain access to the affordable broadband, you have to know how to use it. And there are so many individuals, whether it be just because of lack of experience with technologies, or perhaps advancing age, or maybe even language, that need to be able to understand how to use this. And what we found is that there's a certain amount of training that needs to occur, and support, oftentimes done by individuals living in communities or working for community organizations, like libraries or YMCAs. And these are individuals that can provide the education, the training and support, that will allow for individuals that don't have understanding of that digital literacy to be able to use the tools. Everything from just being able to access the internet to being able to do telehealth visits.
Michael Crawford (20:47):
Customer support is incredibly important for digital naive populations. How will this segment evolve to accommodate the needs of patients, families, and communities?
David Rhew (21:00):
That's a great question,, because largely what we have seen is that individuals will maybe run into a barrier and they'll need to have someone who can help fix that. And that customer support has to be geared towards the individuals with special needs. We talked about seniors, digitally naive populations. I'll give you an example of one of the things, when we started rolling out with, and this is some of the work that I did many years ago with Kaiser Permanente, a program to virtualize cardiac rehabilitation.
(21:31):
Much of our emphasis was on putting the cardiac rehab program on the Smartwatch, and then figuring out ways that we can enable the healthcare provider to essentially become better connected, and figure out those workflows on the back end. But one of the most essential elements to the success of this program was the development of a tier one, two, three customer support process, so that we could address issues that related to, "Hey, I can't get my device to work," or, "How do you turn it on," to things such as, "The data says this. I'm concerned about this, what should I do about this?? And all those levels of support have to be built in if we intend to roll out digital health more broadly, because those are the ways that people will decide whether or not they can use this or not.
Michael Crawford (22:20):
And who are important stakeholders to this process?
David Rhew (22:23):
Well, certainly the technology companies. And when I talk about technology, it's the telecom providers, but we also have stakeholders that are key from the policy perspective, government at the federal, states, local levels. We're talking about the individuals to voice the customer, the advocacy groups for patients and consumers, really understanding their needs and trying to make sure that it's going to be fair, equitable for all people. And that's something that I think we're now starting to realize, that technology can do so many great things, but if we don't apply the lens of health equity to this, we may leave individuals behind. In particular, those that are underserved and vulnerable.
Michael Crawford (23:10):
Dr. Rhew mentioned some important stakeholders who have a role in developing a more accessible broadband infrastructure. I wanted to speak with one of those stakeholders, a company well known in the internet service provider industry. Broderick Johnson is the Executive Vice President of Public Policy and Digital Equity at Comcast. He is also the former White House Cabinet Secretary. I want to know what strategies Comcast are using to expand broadband for communities, especially the most vulnerable.
(23:41):
Broderick, before we get into strategies, can you tell us, how is Comcast viewing this issue, and why is it important?
Broderick Johnson (23:48):
Researchers have called digital literacy and internet connectivity, the "super social determinants of health," because they address all other social determinants of health as well. One of my idols, the late Congressman John Lewis, an idol of so many of us, said this about the internet. He said, "Access to the internet is the civil rights issue of the 21st century." Congressman Lewis also was a strong advocate for health equity. So internet access and adoption, which we'll talk about later, are also inextricably linked with health equity.
(24:26):
Nearly seven in 10 people turn to the internet first when looking for health information, and that's probably about 100% for everyone who's listening to this podcast. What we need to do as a society though, is to help get more people online so they can access that information. Health equity is about everyone having access to the opportunity to be as healthy as possible. Then it is vital to ensure that everyone has the tools necessary to facilitate good health. And that's through digital equity, which is access, adoption and digital literacy, all put together to make sure that we can truly achieve digital equity, and digital equity to bring about health equity. Digital equity is not only a civil rights issue, it's a health equity issue as well.
Michael Crawford (25:14):
Can you tell me more about the work that you're doing at Comcast to address digital equity?
Broderick Johnson (25:20):
Yes. I joined Comcast not much more than a year ago, actually, in several capacities. And one of those capacities was to lead up our efforts on digital equity, being able to achieve digital equity, to close the digital divide across the United States. And so the work that I do, along with great colleagues across the entire company, is to work especially on these adoption issues, to go into communities across the United States, to give speeches, to appear on panels, and most importantly, to work with community groups, and to work with local government officials, to help bring awareness to the fact that broadband in fact is available.
(26:07):
And because of the American Connectivity Program, the most recently passed federal legislation to address this issue, $14 billion is now available to make sure that up to 48 million Americans can get online for free. But awareness is a big problem. We have barriers to adoption. Awareness is a big problem. Distrust of government, distrust of private institutions, of business, is another barrier. A lack of digital skills and digital skills training, so that when people have access and when people have a device, there's still a lot of uncertainty, a lack of knowledge about how to use those devices to better life outcomes, including health outcomes of course.
(26:51):
And finally, the issue of relevance. There are many people who, when they think about whether or not they need to be online, wonder whether it really will make a difference in their lives, with regard to education or job skills training, or their own healthcare, or addressing their other needs. And so my work really with Comcast, it's really in the DNA of the company, is to make sure that we can work to help empower people to get online and to change their lives across the country.
Michael Crawford (27:24):
You mentioned awareness is a challenge in terms of broadband adoption. Are there any specific examples that you could provide of organizations that are leading the way in expanding awareness of broadband and broadband adoption?
Broderick Johnson (27:44):
Oh, yes. Increasingly. And this is what among many things really excites me about the work that I get to do at Comcast and that my colleagues get to do, is growing awareness and growing support for what we refer to as digital navigators. And some people call them digital ambassadors. And these are people who, based on other experiences, perhaps having to do with signing people up for vaccines, or getting people signed up for the ACA, or getting people signed up for SNAP benefits, but navigators, digital navigators in the sense of broadband, are individuals, they can be volunteers, they could be paid staffers who work for community based organizations, that go out into communities, whether it's at libraries or knocking on doors, or in other ways connecting to people in their communities.
(28:41):
And it's very important, it's been found, that these are people to be very effective. These are people who have to be trusted by the folks that they are engaging with or meeting with in their communities. And I'll give you some examples. Comcast, we are supporting an increasing number of digital navigator organizations. I was recently in Detroit, in this trip that I took in the summer to Detroit, it was to announce three digital navigator grants to organizations based in Detroit that are helping connect people to the internet, and helping people with digital literacy skills, getting devices and the like.
(29:20):
So one of those organizations is an organization called the St. Patrick's Senior Center. It's run by this incredible woman by the name of SaTrice Betts-Coleman. And Ms. Coleman understands the importance of internet connection to the people, to the elderly people who come through her center every day. And during the pandemic, it was especially important of course, to help those folks who would otherwise be coming to her center, stay connected through the internet.
(29:51):
And so the grant that we made to her organization was to help with even further strengthening the programs that she has around digital navigation. And also was able to provide some laptops to that organization as well. And it's just wonderful. And in her own life, internet connection has been so important for she and her family. She has two daughters who are college and graduate school educated, and it was their internet connection that kept them from losing any progress in their path.
(30:25):
So that's just one of so many examples. I'll be going out across the country over the next several months meeting with people and organizations that are doing the same kind of work, because it is so important to be able to reach people, but also to connect with people who are trusted in the communities in which they work.
Michael Crawford (30:44):
You mentioned this incredible program around digital navigators. Are there any other specific examples of programs that you believe are showing promise in addressing health equity issues and improving health outcomes? For instance, Comcast lift zones are providing critical broadband access. Can you speak to that?
Broderick Johnson (31:05):
Yeah, I'm glad you mentioned that. Lift zones. So we made a commitment to open 1000 lift zones, really as the pandemic took hold, recognizing the need for wifi connections in many circumstances where people didn't have or don't have, home based broadband. And thinking about young people for example, but also families, young families, the elderly, veterans. So we've opened over a thousand of these lift zones in communities all across the United States, providing free wifi. And that's part of our ongoing commitment to connect low income families to the internet outside their homes.
(31:46):
So this will continue, and we will continue to add even more lift zones, hundreds of more lift zones, in the months ahead. And let me give you an example, anecdotal example, of how lift zones are making a difference relative to healthcare. In Chicago, the Chinese American Service League, which is one of our lift zones, provides private rooms with laptops, so that visitors can talk with their doctors at that lift zone.
(32:17):
They also get tech support and translation services as well. And we know that this is happening in other lift zones also. Many of our Internet Essentials customers, these are people who have broadband at home, have talked about the importance of being online, being able to use our Internet Essentials service, to help access healthcare. 82%, in fact, of what we call IE or internet essentials customers say that that product has helped with accessing healthcare, and 29% of those customers said they used their connection to manage health or medical benefits information. 22% using for telehealth, like seeing a doctor or a nurse online. So look, the greatest way to reduce health disparities is to increase access to care and telemedicine. And that is absolutely tied to being able to get people online.
Michael Crawford (33:17):
How do we keep making progress and having an impact to improve health outcomes by addressing digital equity and health equity?
Broderick Johnson (33:27):
Well, we just have to stay committed to it, that's for sure. And we can't see the period of the pandemic as an emergency period, where we needed to focus resources and address issues, and then it kind of dissipates. As a company, I know we are committed to achieving digital equity, closing the digital divide, making the digital divide no more than a crack in the society by the resources that we put into it, and by the attention that our employees and our programs and our products put on it.
(34:05):
But this is also something that our society overall needs to be committed to, again, long term. While we may not be in a pandemic emergency anymore, we certainly are emerging from that. It's urgent though that we continue to focus on digital equity and get the resources out there. And government has a role, and the private sector has a role. Non-profit organizations have a role, and individuals have a role as well, to spread the word to our friends and neighbors about how different life is and can be when you're online or when you're not online.
(34:41):
And so those stories are important to tell. And the work is important though, to stay committed to for the long term. And a big part of that goes to the relevance issue. And the fact that 72% of the people in a recent survey, I think it was a Pew Research survey, who are not online, said that they just don't see it as relevant to their lives, well, it's incumbent upon all of us to help people understand in fact that it is relevant to their lives, it can make a difference. It can improve their healthcare outcomes. It can help improve their educational outcomes, and prepare them and their children better for school on a day to day basis, whether they're at home because they're ill, or they have sickle cell disease, or something else that is happening at a particular time that makes it difficult for children to be in school.
(35:33):
So we have to keep committed. And we have to tell stories like this one. I want to share this story with you. I get to meet so many people, wonderful people across the country, who are examples of what a difference it makes. I recently met a woman who lives here in the DMV. Her first name is LaJoy. And LaJoy has a 10 year old daughter named Libria, and Libria has chronic health issues. LaJoy signed up for Comcast Internet Essentials, which has been a $9.95 a month product for 10 years, by the way, as we've also increased speeds as a result of the American Connectivity Program, by the way, that with a voucher, that can be a free service again for tens of millions of people. But LaJoy signed up for Internet Essentials some time ago, and it allowed her and her daughter again, who has chronic health issues, to stay connected to school and to stay connected to her daughter's doctors.
(36:36):
The mother, LaJoy, works full-time, and it's just phenomenal. She is in a PhD program herself, so telehealth appointments also save her time, and they fit into her schedule much better. LaJoy and Libria have fully embraced telehealth. It has not only helped with the mom staying connected, but again, it has helped so much with Libria in terms of her education and her doctors. Again, that's just phenomenal when you think about it, that those two, because of connection to the internet, are able to improve both their education and also healthcare.
(37:15):
So I remain very optimistic that as we go forward, if we stay committed with the resources, and if we continue to empower people to believe that their own lives can be made better by being online, that we can solve this, and we can close this digital divide, and we can bring tremendous benefits across the country, again, without regard to race, gender, or economic status.
Michael Crawford (37:39):
Communities have struggled to have sufficient access to broadband, and this has led to disparities. But the good thing is, there are a lot of strategies to approach this issue. Strategies that include equity at the center of the process. And there are a lot of stakeholders on the ground working to improve this issue.
(37:58):
So as we end this episode, I want to ask, what is your role? Who can you collaborate with to expand broadband access to all communities, especially the most underserved? What entrepreneurs in this space should receive investment? It takes all of us. We can all play a role.
(38:19):
Thank you for listening to this episode of 21st Century Health. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to great podcasts.