South Carolina students do homework in parking lots to get Wi-Fi. Rep Clyburn wants Congress to help

Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) was meeting with farmers about disaster relief when one Chester County resident shared a story about a different kind of disaster unfolding in rural South Carolina. The man told Rep Clyburn that schoolchildren in his small town are driven to the library after hours so they can connect to the Wi-Fi signal in the parking lot. For many of them, it’s the only way they can get online to finish their homework. 

Now Rep Clyburn hopes to change that. When House Democrats complete an infrastructure package later in 2019, Rep Clyburn wants rural broadband to be at the top of the list. He said he’s spoken to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) about the issue and plans to bring it up when House leaders meet to hammer out a plan for infrastructure April 29. “We’re not going to be able to get an adequate education to our children without broadband,” he said. “I am going to become as strong an advocate for broadband in infrastructure as I have been for anything in my life.”