We didn’t need COVID-19 to tell us that broadband internet is a foundation of the modern American economy, a reality that was evident before the pandemic began to leave its trail of destruction. With more Americans than ever working and learning from home, the necessity of having a broadband connection is underscored, and one of the biggest flaws of our communications infrastructure is revealed: It doesn’t reach everyone.
In my career inside and outside of Congress, I have long advocated for policies that will close the digital divide. Those with means, who are in places with high-speed internet availability, live on one side of that divide. Americans living on the other side are stranded by economic circumstances. Either they don’t have broadband access because broadband deployment isn’t economically viable where they live, or they can’t afford it. It’s up to Congress to finance closing the access side of the divide, but with today’s heightened importance of having a broadband connection, we must also confront the affordability question.
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