Introductory*
City of Baltimore
Council Bill R
(Resolution)
Introduced by: Councilmember Cohen
A Resolution Entitled
A Council Resolution concerning
title
Request for Federal Action - Pass the Anti-Digital Redlining Act of 2021
For the purpose of urging President Joseph R. Biden and the United States Congress to pass and enact the Anti-Digital Redlining Act of 2021 to establish the criteria to be used by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to identify and dismantle digital redlining. .
body
Recitals
Whereas, access to broadband Internet can no longer be treated as a private luxury
reserved for the few but an essential utility such as electric, water and sewer;
Whereas, according to the Abell Foundation's April 2020 report "Baltimore's Digital Divide: Gaps in Internet Connectivity and the Impact on Low-income City Residents", more than 40% of households in Baltimore lack access to a home Internet connection;
Whereas, the same report found that while 73% of White households in Baltimore could
get online at home, only 50% of Black households could;
Whereas, at the start of 2021, a Pew Research Center survey demonstrated the lack of affordable, accessible broadband can be seen in low-income communities across the country, with 43% of adults with lower incomes reporting not having home broadband services, compared to only 7% of adults in households earning $100,000 or more a year;
Whereas, the same survey found 80% of White adults reported having access to home broadband services, compared to 71% and 65% for Black and Hispanic adults, respectively;
Whereas, in April 2020, the Pew Research Center found that 59% of U.S. parents with lower incomes ...
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