Technology

“COVID-19 has presented America’s broadband networks with numerous challenges. The pandemic has exposed and widened gaps in online access to schools, workplaces and health care, just to name a few. That’s why we are urging Congress to provide funding to keep low-income households, students, teachers, and doctors connected during the pandemic.”

“In both urban and rural communities, the lack of high-speed internet has long been a pain point and COVID-19 has only worsened it. As part of efforts to provide economic relief from the pandemic, Congress should fund the acceleration of broadband infrastructure in these areas, an investment that will have long-term returns in the form of increased productivity, health outcomes and economic opportunities to low-income and underserved Americans.”

“At a time when working, parenting, teaching and seeing our doctors rely on broadband connectivity, we must come together to address the continuing crisis that COVID-19 has only brought into sharp relief. The digital divide adversely affects all Americans, many of them in the rural communities where our farmer member owners and their families live and work. We’ve long advocated for a 1930’s rural electrification-type approach to bring long-term equity to under-invested communities, solidifying rural vibrancy and job creation. We appreciate the BRT’s focus, like ours, on addressing significant funding to support investment in infrastructure, improve coverage mapping and ensure coordinated implementation at the state and federal levels.”

"During the pandemic, broadband has enabled students to continue learning, businesses to continue serving their customers and health care providers to see their patients via online appointments. But too many Americans still are not connected either because they live in rural areas that lack broadband, they struggle to afford broadband service or they lack the necessary digital literacy skills. The last few months have highlighted the importance of the public and private sector working together to prioritize getting more people connected. Bridging the digital divide is essential to the nation's future prosperity because it will ensure all Americans have the tools they need to thrive in the digital economy."

"The digital divide has a disproportionate impact across racial, geographic, and economic lines and the pandemic has only exacerbated that. Policymakers on both sides of the aisle have long acknowledged this gap, but Congress needs to take bold and meaningful steps now to make broadband accessible, affordable, and sustainable. With the right mix of government policy and spending and private sector investment, we can expand connectivity to historically unserved and underserved communities."

“Lack of affordable high speed internet access is not just a rural challenge – it’s a very real urban problem, as well. Broadband internet is a necessity for education, health, and economic development, and unless we address this issue promptly, the gap between the “haves” and “have nots” will only continue to grow.”