Canadian federal and provincial digital policies reflect a laissez-faire approach with near absence of consideration of affordability and digital skills for low-income adults¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · qualitative r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2017 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person · overdue for a recheck since 2022: baselines and conditions change

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Digital Canada 150 and Network BC emphasize broadband provision and e-government but give little attention to whether users can afford access or develop skills to use it. → Smythe 2017

Evidence¶

Smythe 2017¶

Smythe, S., & Breshears, S. (2017). Complicating Access: Digital Inequality And Adult Learning In A Public-Access Computing Space. The Canadian Journal for the Study of Adult Education, 29(1), 67-81. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1139334

q2 · i? · qualitative · r2

Critical policy analysis of Digital Canada 150, Network BC, and Citizens @ the Centre documents. The authors report a "near absence of meaningful consideration" of affordability, and note Digital Canada 150 contains no mention of digital skills or adult education needed to meaningfully use the Internet.

"The federal and provincial digital strategies reflect the laissez-faire approach to digital access described above. Notable is a near absence of meaningful consideration of whether potential users have the means to take advantage of the availability of an Internet connection."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Internet connection rates in Canada differ sharply by income, with 97% of the highest income quartile connected versus 58% of the lowest — related
• AI in adult education risks reinforcing existing inequalities via the digital divide, particularly for rural, low-income, and marginalized learners — related
• Low-income households make significant sacrifices to maintain Internet access, which can account for almost 8% of monthly household expenses — related
• Digital policies imagine a \"model user\" whose experience contrasts sharply with the actualities of adults on the margins of access — related
• Roughly 30 percent of U.S. students (15 to 16 million) lacked adequate internet or device access in late 2020, with rural, Native American, Black, and Latino students disproportionately affected — related
• Higher education digital divides are acute at MSIs, HBCUs, and TCUs, which have stark capability deficits in hardware, software, and broadband — related
• Hispanic and low-income students reported more challenges and technology problems after the shift online than non-Hispanic White and higher-income peers; rural students did not differ — related