Many Americans still don't have internet access — Congress should help

The pandemic has widened long-existing inequities like the digital divide — the term used to refer to the fact that many people across the country lack access to affordable broadband due to a cycle of profit-driven discrimination. Congress cannot stand idly by while millions of people across the country are unable to connect with loved ones, work from home, engage in distance learning, take advantage of telehealth or otherwise fully participate in society because they lack affordable broadband access. Now, more than ever before, is the time to take the necessary steps toward universal, affordable broadband service. The House of Representatives passed an infrastructure bill, the Moving Forward Act, containing strong provisions to expand broadband access that create and protect good jobs across the country. The legislation not only provides millions of families with an affordable internet connection, but it ensures that the very workers who build and maintain those networks have access to the internet themselves and are able to exercise their collective bargaining rights. It’s time for the Senate to step up and ensure that the 44 million households that lack even a standard connection get the essential service they need. If they do not act, we must hold them accountable. And we must make sure that the Moving Forward Act becomes the new baseline for expanding broadband access across the country.

[Chris Shelton is the president of the Communications Workers of America. Angela Siefer is the executive director of The National Digital Inclusion Alliance, which advocates for the expansion of broadband access.]