Invest in better digital privacy protection along with faster broadband speeds

Among the key provisions of the trillion-dollar Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed into law by President Joe Biden is $65 billion that will be dedicated to improving access to reliable high-speed internet. This new law aimed at closing the digital divide also should be used to close the digital privacy divide — the gap between more personal information being stored and shared and the level of privacy protection for online users that is provided to them. Dedicated funding for enhanced broadband network availability should be coupled with a greater focus on digital privacy protection. If new requirements for those seeking grants under the new broadband funding program are established, it would go a long way toward providing a necessary link between massive network expansion and digital privacy protection. Given the unprecedented amount of money for broadband expansion that now is firmly allocated, we have a tangible opportunity to provide vital online capabilities more equitably to unserved areas. At the same time, our nation should enhance the digital privacy of those who live there, in urban and rural areas alike.

[Stuart N. Brotman is the Howard Distinguished Endowed Professor of Media Management and Law and Beaman Professor of Journalism and Electronic Media at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.]