As part of a historic effort to revitalize the economy, President Barack Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act("ARRA" or "Recovery Act"), pumping over $700 billion of economic "stimulus" dollars into the U.S. economy.

Section I of this paper discusses disparities currently existing among different race and ethnic groups and the barriers African Americans are facing on broadband adoption. A set of policy recommendations to increase broadband adoption among minorities are illustrated in Section II with three case studies. Section II also recommends ways broadband could be used to improve healthcare, education and employment. The last section details the call for action from African American elected officials committed to helping government and industry overcome these barriers and increase sustainable broadband adoption for African Americans.

Date Published: September 2009

Between December 2009 and January 2010, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies conducted a study of 2,741 respondents, oversampling African Americans and Hispanics, to understand national minority broadband adoption trends, and examine broadband adoption and use between and within minority groups. This report addresses the experiences of minority consumers of wireline and mobile broadband services and provides insights into some of the factors affecting the decisions of minorities who have adopted broadband.

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies' Media and Technology Institute released their Broadband Imperatives Report at a luncheon on September 22, 2009.

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies' Media and Technology Institute released their Broadband Imperatives Report at a luncheon on September 22, 2009.