Sonia Jorge, Founder of Global Digital Inclusion Partnership, Defines "Meaningful Connectivity" in Talk for Building a Global, Equitable, and Just Internet Infrastructure Speaker Series

Sonia Jorge educated students on the digital divide in the course, Building a Sustainable Internet, held at UC Berkeley in October 2025. The talk by the digital policy expert was a bold call to action that encouraged students to become proactive on the nuanced issue of internet access.

Stemmed in her own field research and policy advocacy in over 50 countries, Sonia’s talk was grounded in the everyday realities of people. People sustain their livelihoods and can participate in the economy when they have access to the internet. Despite these benefits, there is still a large portion of the world that is not connected. Of the one in three people who remain offline, a disproportionate number are underrepresented or historically underserved. Many students expressed surprise, for example, by how few women had access to the internet. The knock on effects of this include restricted independence, interpersonally and economically.

How do we solve such an urgent and pervasive problem? Sonia proposed a holistic approach to closing the gap in internet access between people, often termed the digital divide. Meaningful access to the internet can be achieved through a set of specific political, social, and material conditions. For example, the availability of fast bandwidth is less meaningful if it is not affordable for the general public. Affordability is generally measured as less than two percent of average monthly income. Additionally, Sonia advocated for access to appropriate devices and supportive social environments, which would help people maintain sustained connectivity.

Sonia takes seriously the voices of those often left out of tech conversations, as demonstrated through her advocacy for bottom up solutions. She highlighted the unique power of policymakers to represent communities' interests and create meaningful change. Through proper support and training, policymakers can tailor their technical training to the unique locality that they represent. Understanding the limitations of a one-size-fits all approach, students left this talk with a renewed appreciation for those affected by and fighting against this critical global issue.