"Internet Inclusivity Is Key," Shares Author Caroline Tolbert at ASU Lecture

The latest installment of UTO’s Technology in the Public Interest: An Author Series brought Caroline Tolbert, Professor of Political Science at University of Iowa, to the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law in partnership with the School of Public Affairs. There, Tolbert presented and led discussions related to her book, Digital Human Capital and the Future of Communities, and research conducted with fellow University of Iowa professor Scott LaCombe and ASU professor Karen Mossberger. During her talk, she illuminated the connection between broadband connectivity and community prosperity.

Tolbert explained the disparity in readily accessible high-speed internet with two contrasting examples, Sunnyvale, California and Flint, Michigan. They illustrate her points on technology and its geographical impacts as they relate to the promise of innovation and the rise of inequality. Broadband is a key example in how inclusive technology adoption can be measured, Tolbert said.

Tolbert, Mossberger and LaCombe’s data was presented in great detail, and you can watch the full recorded talk. The presentation was another example of the Technology in the Public Interest series’ mission of connecting innovative, new developments with the good they can represent for our communities. 

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