Abstract

Ambiguous in nature, the digital divide has come to mean, in relative terms, the gap differentiating the technology haves and have-nots. However, this understanding fails to embody the true nature of the digital divide and the inequities of the current political economy of information. How can the digital divide be understood, instead, as a representation of broader inequities beyond a discrepancy in available technology? Who holds the power within the current political economy of information? How is this power unevenly distributed? How is telecommunications infrastructure important for the development of equitable and just communities? My research examines these questions through case study analysis of the Connected Capital Area Broadband Consortium (CCABC) a collaborative initiative in the Sacramento region seeking to enhance access to and adoption of broadband internet, the prominent telecommunications technology of our time.