Op-Ed

Federal funding and expertise are necessary to achieving universal connectivity, but every level of government has a role to play in bridging the digital divide — especially for completing the “last mile,” the part of the network that connects a local internet provider to residences and small businesses.

If ever there was a wake-up call to an immediate infrastructure threat, Corona is it. So let’s make the case for a public digital infrastructure (PDI). Is it even reasonable to ask the federal government to fund and govern a world-class broadband network utility – for everyone?  The argument here is yes.  The government should provide directed, comprehensive funding to broadband deployment across all parts of the country versus off-loading much of the cost to the states (who then enable ISPs to set prices). The cost?  Around $100B to provide 100MB service everywhere.

Coronavirus has caused a seismic shift in everything about life as we know it. Schools, businesses, and non-essential entities are closed indefinitely. As fear and economic uncertainty escalate, so does the need for information. Students have been forced into remote learning programs regardless of whether they are equipped. Before COVID-19, many did not have the requisite tools to complete assignments at home. Now, some of those students, who were already at a disadvantage, will spend the remainder of the school year using smartphones to comply with remote learning mandates.

Communities across the nation are working hard to address the issue of connectivity for students. But we need a national approach, not an ad-hoc strategy.

The past month has taught us that the internet is the one indispensable tool Americans have amidst this crisis. but at least 20 million American households are currently without home access to broadband internet, primarily because they can’t afford it. These are the families on the wrong side of the digital divide, the most vulnerable people in our society. Disproportionately they are older, poorer, and sicker than the “average” American. Congress should devise a long-term solution to our continuing digital divide, once and for all.

As the COVID-19 pandemic has forced schools and workplaces to close all over the country, tens of millions of American children have started to attend classes online and tens of millions of American adults are now teleworking from home. This crisis has highlighted how many Americans lack high-speed wired broadband internet at home (approximately 141 million) and specifically how many school-age children are disconnected (as many as 12 million). This digital divide did not happen by accident.

In our “new normal” world, one could argue that broadband is no longer a luxury, subject to the cartel-like whims of a single local provider. Instead, higher education should reframe the discussion of whether high speed internet should be treated as a utility. Could we find anyone today who wouldn’t agree the internet is essential to our daily lives?

To ensure social distance, we have been asked to recreate work and school in our homes. Distancing ourselves is necessary to “flatten the curve.” But while we try not to overload hospitals, the success of home schooling and work from home rests on a misguided presumption of universal internet connectivity. This is not the reality for millions of Americans.

While the US government and telecommunications industry have been engrossed in the race to 5G, much of the country is still in a slow crawl to regular home internet service. It’s a mistake with economic consequences, and unfortunately the coronavirus pandemic could provide the harshest evidence of that.   “Carriers and the FCC are so obsessed with the next thing (5G), they’ve not ensured that everyone who needs access to the network can get it or afford it,” said Benton senior fellow and public advocate Gigi Sohn.

Nationwide, approximately 22% of households don’t have home internet, including more than 4 million households with school-age children.