Approaching digital equity: is wifi the new leveler?

Purpose Recent reports suggest the shape and size of the digital divide may be changing. This exploratory study aims to examine the relationships between demographic and situational variables and small and medium‐sized enterprise (SME) owners' intentions to adopt and use free public wifi technology. Design/methodology/approach A survey study of 158 SME owners in the urban renewal community (RC) of a large Southwestern metroplex investigated the influence of known digital divisors – gender, ethnicity, age, education, and experience – on the adoption and use of wi‐fi technologies. Partial least squares was used to test the hypotheses. Findings Contrary to previous research, gender, age, education, and experience were not related to the intention to adopt wifi technology. Ethnicity was significantly related to intent to adopt, but the relationship was small. Ethnicity and age were found to be somewhat related to wifi usage. In marked contrast from earlier research, education, gender, and experience were not significant predictors of usage. Practical implications The findings suggest that access to high‐speed wifi has the potential to reduce and/or eliminate the digital divide. The projected changes in the digital divide can be expected to make a significant impact on SME productivity and performance. Originality/value This study is one of the first to examine the influence of the adoption and use of public wi‐fi technologies by SME owners on the digital divide.