Rural America needs internet access

Many states have their own offices focusing on rural broadband, and there is very little coordination between those offices, and the many federal agencies responsible for elements of internet connectivity extension. President Joe Biden and Congressional leaders can include language that ensures that better coordination leads to faster deployment of rural broadband solutions. It is not as if there has been no work done on this to date. The Federal Communications Commission has been working on this issue for years, and some progress has been made. But like anything in government, the White House and Congress need to push this or it will continue to plod along slowly, never reaching its goal. This is not “hard” to do. It just takes a serious commitment by the administration and lawmakers.

As President Biden seeks to invest in the future of the country, give Americans a chance to achieve their dreams, and rebuild a nation torn apart by political polarization and a dangerous pandemic, he should lead on a big, achievable plan like nationwide broadband. Franklin Roosevelt electrified rural America in the 1930s on the heels of the great depression and the tremendous economic and social turbulence it caused. We did it then, and we can do it now.

[Dan Glickman served as secretary of the Department of Agriculture under Bill Clinton and is a former Democratic member of Congress from Kansas.]