Here’s what Biden can do right now to get more Americans on the Internet

Today, there’s a glaring inequity in one crucial area that guarantees inequity in myriad others: Internet access. President Joe Biden has signaled a desire to bring broadband to all. Step one is obvious: Install a Federal Communications Commission chair to replace Ajit Pai. The commission must bolster the E-Rate program, designed to help schools and libraries obtain affordable broadband, and suspend the illogical rule that prevents funding recipients from using the money to provide hotspots and purchase devices that keep kids online even when they’re at home. Next comes the low-income Lifeline program. The incoming FCC majority must first reverse changes that have discouraged participation over the past four years, lifting eligibility obstacles for recipients and bringing exiled providers back into the fold. The agency must also further strengthen the program. Bringing the Web to the whole country, and the whole country to the Web, will take time. But every step closer is a victory, and there are leaps that the new president can take right away.