Rural Internet Providers Struggle to Get Protective Gear

As the pandemic batters America for its second month, small broadband providers are having a harder time finding protective gear needed to allow workers to go into the field. “I got about four emails today from people being like, ‘Help me get PPE, we can't get equipment,’” said Shirley Bloomfield, head of rural telecom trade group NTCA. Rural ISPs are turning to local distilleries for hand sanitizer and lumber yards for gloves, according to Bloomfield. USTelecom has expressed similar anxiety among its larger ISP members and ongoing dialogue with the Department of Homeland Security. Right now, NTCA is waiting for 600,000 cloth masks en route from FEMA to a staffer’s home, where they’ll have to be divided up and then mailed to its 850 member companies. Though cloth masks aren’t perfect, “I think our guys are so happy that we’re able to get them anything,” she said. Internet connectivity has been a lifeline during the pandemic, and so far providers big and small have been able to deliver. Hundreds of ISPs voluntarily committed to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai’s pledge to waive late fees for 60 days and refrain from cutting off service to consumers unable to pay during the outbreak. That period ends in about two weeks, though Verizon, AT&T and Comcast extended these commitments to June 30. Bloomfield said her members may not be able to offer similar extensions through the summer without significant financial help — to the tune of at least $2 billion — in Capitol Hill’s upcoming stimulus efforts.