Commissioner Starks Remarks at MediaJustice #Right2Connect Town Hall

I have called for the FCC to enact a “connectivity stimulus” to see Americans through the coronavirus crisis and power our economy. While a lot of data are still coming in, early results have delivered a clear message: COVID-19 is disproportionately hitting densely populated urban areas and having a devastating impact on African Americans and other communities of color. On a personal note, I read a report this week that Black residents of Kansas City make up 50% of those testing positive for the coronavirus, while they are only 30% of the population. Similar results are being reported in cities all around the country. Our longstanding digital divide has morphed into a monstrous new COVID-19 divide, and we have to act NOW to close that divide. For the over 45 million K-12 students sent home from school, some more than 2 months ago, we must act NOW. For the nearly 22 million newly unemployed who have filed claims for unemployment payments over the past month, we must act NOW. And for the low-income, displaced, homeless, food insecure, and social service dependent, we must act NOW. Finally, for the incarcerated, we must act NOW.