As remote learning continues, leaders say Kentucky needs a 'New Deal' for internet access

As students throughout Kentucky prepare for a new school year and more remote learning amid a pandemic, the state should view internet access as a public good similar to electricity and school buses, several education and workforce leaders said. The issue of the Bluegrass State's "digital divide" was the focus of a briefing featuring former Kentucky education commissioner Wayne Lewis, State Sen. Max Wise and Peter Hille, president of the Mountain Association for Community Economic Development. The Walton Family Foundation, a philanthropy started by the Walmart founders, organized the briefing. Hille, who leads the nonprofit focused on economic development in Eastern Kentucky, said internet access is the "modern school bus" that "we've got to make sure every kid has the opportunity to get on."