For better and/or worse, the internet is dramatically changing the way we relate to each other. While many tear their hair at the rise of dangerous attitudes and misinformation or social media, some of the internet’s influence can be considered positive.
For example, continuing to “meet” virtually during the pandemic has been demonstrated to be as efficient, if not more so, than physically gathering together for a city council session or other form of hearing.
These newly-adapted practices are not without complications however. “Complications” suggest small, annoying details that may well be tolerated or eliminated by new practices. One very serious hiccup, however, is the inadvertent exclusion from virtual meetings of those — often the most vulnerable — who have no access to the necessary technology to allow them to participate. This is a fundamental erosion of democracy and cries out for a countermeasure: providing internet access as a fundamental community service available to all.
Currently, the lack of broadband (fast) internet connectivity is a problem for many people in public housing in a number of countries, while a level playing field in education suddenly demands that children be able to access teaching online. The lack of opportunity for their parents to attend and participate in virtual public hearings is of equal importance in identifying the internet as a new and important part of housing infrastructure, joining such essentials as roads, sewage and clean water.
For a practical sense of the benefits, drawbacks, and assault on our democratic right to participate in society, read more in CITY LIMITS: For City’s Public Meetings, Shift to Virtual Format Has Meant Attendance Boost—& Complications
