Weaving Our Web: The State of Digital Inclusion in Urban Indian America, released by the NUIFC with support from Internet Essentials from Comcast, is the first in a three-part series exploring the state of digital connectedness among Native Americans who reside in cities and urban population centers. Current broadband adoption statistics reveal the Native American community faces the largest digital divide of any demographic group in the United States. Despite having a divergent experience from those living on reservations or in rural areas, the urban Indian population is often overlooked in research, and until now, digital inclusion research has been no exception. This report seeks to understand and evaluate the current landscape of technology and internet use by urban Indians and to make recommendations for further research. Using Native methodologies to ensure Indian voices directed the conversation and subsequent narrative, NUIFC convened four round-table focus groups in major geographic regions, with staff from 13 member organizations. These conversations centered on the importance of digital connectivity and the impact of digital exclusion within the urban Indian community, as well as recommendations for further exploration and analysis, and formed the basis for this report.
