Schools are shutting down for the year—here’s how the FCC can get kids online now

As schools across the country move toward virtual learning as they shut down their buildings amid the coronavirus emergency, it has highlighted the digital divide that exists between students who have readily available internet access and those who do not. The Federal Communications Commission has announced a number of initiatives to help more people get connected to the internet in the wake of the coronavirus emergency. But some experts, lawmakers, and members of the agency believe it can do more. Benton Institute Senior Fellow and Public Advocate Gigi Sohn said she commended FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and the agency for some of their moves, but stressed that its decisions in the past—including abdicating its authority to oversee broadband providers as part of its net neutrality repeal—have created a situation where it is asking for participation instead of being able to require broadband providers to step in and help. 

“They’re doing some good things and deserve credit for it, but they’re not doing nearly enough…The reason we’re in this position in the first place is because of bad policy. We’re in this position because the FCC has abdicated its authority over broadband. It can’t tell the providers what to do, it has to beg them to do things in a national emergency.” Sohn said while there was “no silver linings in the dark cloud of COVID-19,” she hoped that once the coronavirus pandemic has subsided, the stark contrast between students—and adults—who have access to high-speed internet and who don’t will have been demonstrated enough that lawmakers take serious action to close the digital divide and take a look at issues including price, competition, device availability, and more.