As classes move online during COVID-19, what are disconnected students to do?

As COVID-19 requires more schools to transition to online learning, the students who were already the most vulnerable to falling behind will face even more hurdles to keep pace. The efforts of the Federal Communications Commission and Internet service providers during this crisis ought to be commended, but their quick response also begs the question: Was broadband access not essential before COVID-19? Long before the coronavirus drew national attention to the issue, digital inclusion advocates were stressing the disparate outcomes for students without internet. We must harness this momentum to demonstrate that broadband is essential to the success of students across the country, and finally lay to rest the concerns of those who say that high-speed internet is just a luxury good. The coronavirus pandemic isn’t making broadband essential—it’s exposing that it always was.