About
The Mississippi Center for Justice, the Children’s Defense Fund Southern Regional Office, the Southern Rural Black Women’s Initiative for Economic and Social Justice, One Voice, MS Delta Council for Farm Worker Opportunities, and Quitman County Development Organization are working together to advocate for Broadband expansion in Mississippi to be equitable.
Our Mission
Our focus around Broadband expansion in the state focuses on making sure that services prioritize unserved and underserved Mississippians, by getting them reliable, fast, and affordable Broadband internet allowing them to participate in the modern economy, take online classes, and receive telehealth care.
Broadband access in a necessity, not a luxury.
The Importance of Broadband
LACK OF ACCESS to broadband has limited individuals’ access to fundamental needs including education, healthcare, the ability to work, and even the ability to access emergency services. The expansion of broadband internet, if done correctly, presents the opportunity to change the lives of the most vulnerable Mississippians across the state whose access to broadband equates to being unserved or underserved.
HOUSEHOLDS IN RURAL AREAS have broadband availability of less than 56% and in some areas even less than 28%. In total, 30% of rural Mississippians did not have access to broadband in 2019 with no significant change in 2022. The areas of the state where over 83% of households have broadband availability are concentrated around Mississippi’s urban areas such as the Gulf Coast, Jackson, and the Memphis suburbs.
FOR MISSISSIPPI STUDENTS, this digital divide meant that about 43% of students at the start of the pandemic did not have a broadband connection.
SERVICES MUST PRIORITIZE unserved and underserved Mississippians by getting them reliable, fast, and affordable Broadband internet allowing them to participate in the modern economy, take online classes, and receive telehealth care.
FUNDING IS COMING into the state to fund the expansion of Broadband, but we have to make sure it is spent in an equitable manner that prioritizes unserved, underserved, and minority communities.