Older Adults Technology Gap Persists Despite Gains: Broadband Breakfast Panelists

WASHINGTON, April 29, 2026 – Roughly one in three Americans over 65 still lacks a wireline broadband connection at home, panelists said during a Broadband Breakfast Live Online discussion on the role of technology in helping older adults age in place.

While the disconnection rate has dropped from 42% five years ago to 32% today, the remaining gap represents what one panelist called a national crisis requiring coordinated action from nonprofits, governments and industry.

Thomas Kamber , executive director of Older Adults Technology Services, which runs the Senior Planet program at AARP, said the figure "constitutes a crisis" given that broadband participation among 18- to 64-year-olds runs 12 to 15 percentage points higher depending on the state. Kamber's organization has grown from a Brooklyn kitchen-table operation 21 years ago into a national network with more than 760 partner sites across 42 states.

Broadband Breakfast on April 29, 2026 – Older Adults ConnectivityOlder adults remain among the least likely to have home broadband access or the digital skills to fully benefit from it.Broadband BreakfastThomas Kamber

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