At schools with sub-par Internet, kids face a poor connection with modern life

Author: 
Coverage Type: 

The financial decisions of telecom companies have put rural students at a disadvantage, leaving some without basic digital abilities that many in America take for granted. Federal regulators are working toward a fix for these out-of-reach of schools, but it’s unclear to what extent these efforts will solve the problem.

The schools with sub-par Internet are scattered around the country, spanning from the far-flung communities of Alaska to the desert towns of New Mexico. The danger is that students who attend these schools will struggle for years with the critical tasks that now require online fluency: applying to colleges, researching papers, looking for jobs. “This is essentially the definition of the digital divide in education,” said Evan Marwell, EducationSuperHighway founder and chief executive. “Students on the wrong side don’t have the same opportunity to compete.” Marwell added that “the providers are kind of done building to all the areas they can rationalize on their own. So we need to figure out how to get it to those last places.”


At schools with sub-par Internet, kids face a poor connection with modern life