May 2018 - Parks & Recreation - 50

New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation

SOCIAL EQUITY

Children enjoy the
spray pad area at
Roberto Clemente
State Park.

Bridging the Digital Divide - Free Wi-Fi in Parks
Popular State Park Connects a Bronx Community
By Mark Saferstein

...quality education plays a decisive role in development.
[We] call upon all States to promote digital literacy and to
facilitate access to information on the Internet...
- Resolution 32/13 from The Human Rights Council of the United Nations
In America, we've come to expect
certain things. Clean water from faucets, paved roads and lights after dark.
Perhaps you think of internet access in
the same vein, that it's there whenever
you turn on your smartphone or laptop.
These days, we're all virtually tethered to
electronic devices: 95 percent of Americans* own a cellphone, the majority of
which are the smart variety. Wi-Fi is no
longer considered an amenity, but rather
a public utility, like electricity, highways
and running water. If you don't believe
48

Parks & Recreation

it, just ask any millennial or the parent
of a young child.
For most of the inhabitants of our
planet, access to the internet, much like
access to clean water, safe roads and reliable electricity, isn't a given. So much
so that, in 2016, The Human Rights
Council of the United Nations passed
a resolution, declaring connectivity to
the internet to be a basic human right.
They cite the relationship between connectivity and education, and the degree
to which education can lift people out of

| M AY 2 0 1 8 | W W W. PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N . O R G

poverty. More than 70 nations endorsed
this resolution. Several countries, including Russia, China, Saudi Arabia and
South Africa, opposed the measure.
Access for Everyone?
Here in the United States, for millennials between the ages of 18 and 29,
smartphone ownership is almost 95 percent.* Not surprisingly, low-income
or older adults are less likely to own
a smartphone. The same holds true if
you're Hispanic or African-American.
Home internet access follows a similar
pattern.
Since public parks typically are free
and easily accessible, they represent a
great means of bridging the digital divide. However, once the costs of staffing,
maintenance, infrastructure and visitor programs are factored in, most park



May 2018 - Parks & Recreation

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