The pandemic showed us how digital divides worsen inequality – this project shows they\u2019re not inevitable<\/p>\n
Digital poverty and exclusion hide in plain sight. In an era of hyper-connectivity, millions are left in the shadows, even in the wealthiest countries. Data from the US shows that a quarter of America\u2019s rural population, a staggering 14.5 million people, still don\u2019t have access to broadband. In a world where billions are connected, the stark reality of this absence looms large, leaving more than 3 billion people on the margins of the digital age. As life moves online, it only exacerbates existing inequalities, limiting access to education, healthcare, job opportunities and essential services.<\/p>\n
This takes us to Kerala in south India, home to about 34 million people. There, the communist-led state government<\/a> is launching something called the Kerala Fibre Optical Network (KFON) \u2013 and it\u2019s a major milestone. (It is worth noting the irony that the communist government, which has a history of opposing the introduction of computers, is now at the forefront of this digital initiative.) In 2016, the state recognised the internet as a basic citizen\u2019s right, joining other polities like Finland, Costa Rica and France. Next on the agenda: making this new right mean something.<\/p>\n Oommen C Kurian leads the health initiative at the Observer Research Foundation, a thinktank based in New Delhi<\/p>\n