Stakeholders Seek Online Census Participation
Before the first largely online U.S. census began, nonprofits, telecom providers and media companies were heightening efforts to safeguard its integrity and increase participation. Many groups historically vulnerable to undercounting, including rural residents, low-income and homeless populations, and ethnic minorities, overlap with those underserved by broadband, said interviewees earlier this year.
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“All stakeholders should work overtime to make sure the census reaches everyone,” said Next Century Cities then-Senior Program Manager Cat Blake. She wanted to make sure census information was available in all languages and addressed with clear messages fears about entering personal information online. “Every vulnerable group would have different concerns,” said Blake, who now is CTC Technology & Energy civic technology analyst.
“For the first time ever, the census will prioritize collecting responses online,” said FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel in a statement. “This is a big deal because the census affects how hundreds of billions of dollars are distributed and how we are all represented in Washington. But as we know, millions of Americans lack internet access at home. The FCC should partner with the Department of Commerce and other stakeholders to provide assistance to ensure that all of us are counted no matter how we access the form.”
Generally, the FCC "consult[s] regularly with agency partners," a spokesperson emailed. The Census Bureau didn't comment.
In its census outreach, the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council monitors online scams that target vulnerable communities to scare them into not participating. MMTC tells people they are constitutionally required to participate, and their data is protected, said CEO Maurita Coley. All U.S. residents should participate, she explained, but noncitizens often have fears about government showing up at their doors.
Conducting the count largely online offers opportunities to direct people to the response form from an online advertisement but also raises concerns that scammers might try to collect personal data, said Gavin Baker, American Library Association director-public and government relations. Other cybersecurity issues are possible, Baker said. “The system needs to be secure.”
The biggest challenge to participation is the digital divide and the roughly 24 million U.S. households that don’t have residential broadband, said Fair Count Vice President Jeanine Abrams McLean.
MMTC’s Coley wants to make sure people can call to report misinformation campaigns. After early concerns about potential citizenship questions were addressed, Coley believes the move to an online response option could help expand participation.
An accurate count helps government and business direct resources and services better. The counts have been a starting point for broadband maps that inform USF support. Updated numbers from the 2020 census alone won't address the current problems with broadband mapping because the system used is inherently flawed, said Blake. The FCC is working to address broadband mapping problems.
“Comcast, NBCUniversal and Telemundo are committed to increasing participation,” a Comcast spokesperson emailed. “We believe that the Census is an important tool to improve the quality of life of all Americans.” Comcast plans to run public service announcements, fund community-based organizations to support local counts, and engage employees. Telemundo has www.hatzecontar.com.
CenturyLink has a contract to provide secure cloud connectivity that will help digitize this census (see 1908080007), a spokesperson emailed. "This is an important year with the Census in play," emailed a T-Mobile spokesperson.
Currently, many libraries that offer broadband access are closed due to COVID-19. Information on the decennial count is here.