Atlanta Journal-Constitution

School closures in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak revealed a difficult truth: The digital divide is real, and it is deep. And the tools we have available to bridge it are insufficient. To prioritize where broadband deployment funding can do the most good, we need to know where the gaps in service exist.  The second problem is one of access. Too many households simply cannot afford the monthly cost of broadband even if the infrastructure exists to provide it in their homes.

Here in Georgia, we believe in second chances. That is why students across the state are rallying to give the University System of Georgia another shot at getting the optional pass/fail policy right. Right now, we are struggling to accommodate the transition to online education. For one, home Wi-Fi rarely works. The University of Georgia has recognized that connectivity and access pose a huge issue for many students, so it has offered to distribute Wi-Fi hotspots. But in some places, cell service is so poor that sometimes texts won’t go through.

Georgia recently finalized a plan to spend the public’s money on subsidies for high-speed internet lines, laying the foundation for broadband expansion in rural areas. Representatives for some internet providers criticized the state’s subsidy rules as being overly burdensome. They also worried that government funding might not go to areas where it’s most needed.

No matter where you live in Georgia, internet speeds are almost certainly slower than the federal government says they are. An analysis of Georgia speed test results found that internet speeds were about one-fourth as fast as those reported by the Federal Communications Commission. Internet speeds averaged about 6.3 megabits per second in Georgia from June to December 2017, far below the FCC’s estimate of 25 megabits per second. The speed tests show the extent of internet deficiencies long before Georgia’s government completes its effort to map online access at every location in the state.

Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) signed several pieces of legislation designed to expand internet access to rural areas that now lack fast online services. He signed the broadband measures at a ceremony in Dahlonega, part of a stretch of mountainous North Georgia territory where residents have long struggled with spotty connectivity. Surrounded by dozens of college students and local officials, the governor said the changes will “make a lasting impact on countless Georgians” and bring more competition to residents with few options.