Quick tech rollout key to closing rural digital divide, stakeholders say

Given the rate at which complex new technologies are developed and integrated, ensuring quick deployment is crucial in tackling the digital divide and its significant impact on rural communities, stakeholders this week at a rural innovation event in Spain.

Rural areas are often significantly underserved when it comes to implementing new technologies, meaning citizens face obstacles in accessing services and participating in an increasingly digital society compared to those in urban areas.

“Digital infrastructure brings an entirely new paradigm to the rural community”, Bridget Cosgrave, founder and president of Every European Digital, said, speaking at Huawei’s Women’s Academy for Rural Innovation in the Castilla y León region.

“For rural areas, today’s digital transformation marks a turning point similar to the introduction of mechanisation to agriculture,” she said, adding that its significance in general but especially in rural areas should not be underestimated.

But the key to their effectiveness remains in how quickly they are implemented.

“The question is not does everybody need to be connected, but when do they need to be connected?” said Luc Hindryckx, executive director of the European Competitive Telecommunications Association.

Lack of connectivity can also impact people’s ability to exercise their rights and obligations, for example, in the case of digital voting or managing their taxes.

Speakers also discussed the importance of technology in agriculture, a key sector for more rural communities.

“There are significant opportunities through the use of digital and precision agriculture,” Silvia Sánchez of trade association CropLife pointed out, not least when it comes to EU goals such as those in the Farm to Fork and Biodiversity strategies.

While these tools can help with harvest analysis, seed selection, and plant health management, there are still several obstacles. Sánchez explained that asides from the urban-digital divide, the high cost and a lack of digital skills were most pressing.

Skills partnership launched in effort to meet Digital Decade targets

A new EU skills partnership is set to drive forward the up- and reskilling of workers in the digital sector, a key element of the Digital Decade targets, progress on which has been criticised by some as being too slow. 

The EU has made expanding digital capabilities a key part of its approach to the digital transition. As part of its Digital Decade goals, it aims to ensure that 80% of the EU population is equipped with basic digital skills and that the bloc has 20 million employed ICT specialists by 2030.

Progress towards these targets has been slow, with observers warning that a significant upping of efforts will be needed to achieve them.

“There are a lot of digital tools available, but it’s the adoption that is the real issue”, said Lisa Varga, director of strategic operations at training company Upskill Digital. “It’s all well and good having all the digital tools and technologies there if people aren’t adopting them”.

To address this in rural areas, she said partnerships with farmers’ associations and local groups would be vital to creating “digital champions” and showcasing the tangible outcomes and potential benefits of technologies to encourage their adoption.

Report: Digital Decade targets in jeopardy without scale-up of efforts

A substantial acceleration of digital development is needed if the EU’s Digital Decade targets are to be met, according to a new report that sheds light on the disparity between member states.

[Edited by Luca Bertuzzi/Alice Taylor]

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