Why a National Conversation on the Digital Divide Is Needed Now

Before 2020, explaining why the US needed to invest in expanding high-speed internet infrastructure was not always easy. Lawmakers or community leaders often did not understand or could not justify spending money on what can often be an expensive venture. Fast forward to 2021, and the level of broadband-related federal funding is mindboggling – upward of $370 billion. Now that the infrastructure bill passed, that figure rises by billions of dollars more. That’s because with the pandemic came a new understanding of the reasons that investment is necessary, not in a few years but immediately. The pandemic has been brutal for everyone, especially during those first few months of 2020. Millions of US workers suddenly had to telework. Likewise, millions of US children suddenly had to access remote learning to take part in classes. Millions of senior citizens were told to limit exposure to COVID-19 by accessing telehealth instead of going to in-office health care visits. Yet millions of kids, parents, veterans, senior citizens, low-income families and others did not have access to the high-speed internet they needed to do these things. It’s not just about the infrastructure. It's also a matter of digital literacy and affordability.

[Jessica Denson is the communications director at Connected Nation.]