How Local Leaders Are Expanding Broadband Access

An interview with Francella Ochillo, executive director of Next Century Cities. Although discussion about broadband deployment has long focused on federal efforts, local governments and communities have been working to close the digital divide. The pandemic has exposed the many reasons why we simply can’t wait to achieve widespread broadband access and why local leaders are so important to helping us get there. Many small businesses, which keep local economies alive, weren’t equipped to participate in the e-commerce marketplace. Many school districts are still struggling to close the digital divide, which in education we call the homework gap, for every student, especially those in historically underserved neighborhoods. And some residents found themselves completely unable to access government services online. Now that we’ve been confronted with vivid illustrations of those who are still searching and waiting for affordable and reliable broadband connections, we have to decide as a country who deserves to be connected and how we plan to make connectivity a reality for every resident. Doing so requires buy-in from every level of government to collect accurate data about which areas are actually served, supporting innovative community-level connectivity models, and treating broadband adoption as a priority instead of an afterthought.