Kenneth Luzzatto’s background is in telecommunications infrastructure. He started working for internet service providers in the 1990s when the technology first started coming to the forefront. Since then, he’s stayed within the world of data and fiber. 

He became tuned in to digital divide issues several years ago when he was driving through Baltimore and saw kids sitting in their parents' cars outside of a McDonald's trying to get their homework done. 

In this episode, we talk with Ken about why some towns and neighborhoods in America still have really bad internet service– or no service at all. And we learn how to fix it.

Episode Quotes

On the pervasiveness of the internet

[3:10] I went to buy a birthday present, a piece of art, for a friend, and the only way to do it was through their website. The only way to communicate with them is email. There's no phone number. 

Everything that you do, from ordering pizza to signing up for social services, is done online now.

On how the United States has managed broadband rollout

[4:17] If you look where we are compared to, say, South Korea– South Korea has fiber to pretty much every home in the country. It’s not as large as the United States, but you would've thought that we could have done a little better as a country in getting this technology out to people that really need it. And those are people that are not in the urban centers. 

On people who exclusively use cell phones to access the internet

[13:46] They miss out on their educational experiences. They miss out on being able to apply for social services. And– I don't know if you've ever tried to use a cell phone outside of an urban area. In a city, you're probably fine using a cell phone. But if you're out in a rural community where 5G is not available, you're gonna find that it's almost painfully slow.

Show Links:

• Student Freedom Initiative