Daily Archives: June 5, 2019

Where Does the Digital Divide Persist?

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Source: Statista

Rural communities are now more likely to have access to broadband and internet-connected devices, like smartphones and laptops than ever before, yet gaps between rural residents and their urban and suburban counterparts persist. 

For internet connected devices the biggest gap remains in the smartphone arena. Pew surveyed rural residents about their devices and found that about seven in ten rural respondents had a smartphone, a rate that is closer to eight in ten for suburban or urban respondents. While there is a gap in reported smartphone ownership, that gap has closed significantly from 2011, when there was around a 16 to 17-point gap between rural and suburban/urban residents. 

Outside of the devices, simply accessing reliable home broadband remains a problem for rural households in the U.S. About 63 percent of respondents in rural communities had access to home broadband, compared to three-quarters of respondents in suburban and urban communities. Back in 2000, practically nobody had home broadband, regardless of the area they lived in. By 2019, a 12-point gap in access emerged, which points to a noticeable trend in the adoption of many technologies: as it advances, some people are left behind.

Infographic: Where Does the Digital Divide Persist? | Statista

VA celebrates the 75ᵗʰ Anniversary of the VA Home Loan

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Washington, D.C. – June 4, 2019 (PRNewswire)

WHAT: The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is marking the 75th Anniversary of the original GI Bill and its collaboration with the private-sector in delivering the dream of homeownership to Veterans and Servicemembers.

WHO: Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Dr. Benjamin S. Carson, Sr.; Department of Veterans Affairs Undersecretary for Benefits Paul Lawrence, Ph.D.; Executive Director of VA Loan Guaranty Service; representatives from the National Association of Home Builders, National Association of Realtors, the Mortgage Bankers Association; and the American Legion, and Sergeant First Class William Kopf – the 24 millionth VA home loan borrower.

WHEN and WHERE: The event will be held 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. June 5 at The National Press Club, Holeman Lounge, Washington, D.C.

WHY: On June 22, 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the GI Bill into law. This historic law provided a wide range of benefits to Veterans returning from World War II, including:

  • Low-cost home loans
  • Education and vocational training
  • Unemployment payments
  • An expansion of Veterans’ health care

For 75 years, these benefits have positively impacted the lives of generations of America’s Veterans and families by promoting economic well-being through home-ownership, higher education, and other benefits. And the GI Bill helped build the American middle class

Over 24 million home loans have been guaranteed by VA since 1944.  In Fiscal 2018, VA guaranteed over 610,000 home loans totaling more than $161 billion.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: For media inquiries, contact Donna Stratford at donna.stratford@va.gov.