Fast Company

Land O'Lakes started taking on the challenge of the rural digital divide over the last year with its American Connection Project, through which it’s increased access to free wifi by working with partners to make 3,000 local network spots public in 49 states. But, the co-op is now taking further action to build digital infrastructure in rural corners around the country—by recruiting college graduates, in a national service-style program, to go back to their hometowns and work with local institutions to roll out broadband, and familiarize local residents with the tech.

In 2021, the big show for broadband stimulus will come in the bill that emerges from President Joe Biden’s $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan–the American Jobs Plan. Democratic and Republican lawmakers should be able to find plenty of common ground in the core parts of the bill. Members of both parties are hearing from their constituents about the shortcomings of broadband service now that remote working and schooling have become central parts of life. Other issues will have to be hashed out:

Comcast will subject all its residential broadband customers to a 1.2 terabyte monthly data cap. The threshold that Comcast will start enforcing does, indeed, allow for a lot of online life before getting socked by surcharges of $10 for each extra 50 GB, up to $100 a month.

Providing reliable, high-speed internet to remote parts of the U.S. has been a challenge for years. And the COVID-19 pandemic has created a renewed sense of urgency to solve it. Finally solving America’s digital divide will depend on either a technological innovation or governmental intervention.