Rural broadband in the time of coronavirus

If rural America returns to broadband as usual, it will mean public institutions like libraries sometimes serving as the only broadband link for communities. While rural communities find ways to keep residents connected, the only thing certain right now is that there is a great deal of uncertainty. The new coronavirus has pulled hard at a thread of the nation’s patchwork sweater, leaving some Americans exposed to an onrush of climactic change. But for rural Americans who want reliable broadband, there is the potential for opportunity in crisis.

“This is going to increase inequality big time because of so many people being out of work, while people with steadier jobs can do their jobs from home and continue to draw paychecks,” says Sharon Strover, director of The University of Texas at Austin's Technology & Information Policy Institute. “One silver lining might be a broader recognition of how central broadband connectivity is, so policymakers can get off the, ‘Let the companies provide it,’ bandwagon they have been on for so long, and recognize that normal supply-and-demand economics don’t work with critical infrastructure. We need the state to step in and we need some guaranteed and regulated thresholds of service.”