Latoya Peterson says that even though D.C. has adopted Obama's push for more broadband access, that doesn't translate into a more wired D.C. In this year's State of the Union address, President Barack Obama envisioned a new era of American education and prosperity that comes with being a full participant in the digital age: "Within the next five years, we will make it possible for business to deploy the next generation of high-speed wireless coverage to 98 percent of all Americans. This isn't just about a faster Internet and fewer dropped calls. It's about connecting every part of America to the digital age." In classic Obama style, he referred to a future where rural farmers in states such as Iowa and Alabama could become successful by selling their wares online, where students would be free to enter any classroom, and where patients could have video chats with doctors. Obama wasn't just using a rhetorical flourish -- he was painting an image of the new digital future and how it could impact Americans' everyday lives. But while businesses prosper, an iron-clad gate still bars some Americans from a life online -- the classic, unresolved issues that surround families hovering on the edge of poverty. Those at risk of being left behind in the rush toward a new, digital future are easily identified in the pattern of American inequality: People of color, low-income residents, and those in rural and poor urban areas are once again watching the world move on without them. KEEP READING . . .
