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The COVID-19 pandemic has made something clear that the members of the Communications Workers of America (CWA), the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) have known for a long time: millions of families in the United States do not have access to affordable, reliable broadband internet connections. Technicians can’t install high-speed internet service for households without fiber optic cable in their neighborhoods. Teachers can’t keep children who cannot access online materials engaged and learning.

Whether it be for business meetings, family video chats, virtual doctor appointments or distance learning, more Americans are relying on broadband and wireless networks to stay connected than ever before, as the nation deals with the COVID-19 crisis. As we look into the future, it is evident that investing in building these strong communication networks, in particular next-generation wireless networks or 5G, will be as crucial than ever to American success.

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) said the coronavirus pandemic has “accelerated” the need to expand broadband into rural parts of the country as more of the country works remotely. “I mean, first of all, tech companies realized that remote work is more possible. Facebook has said that they're going to go all remote, or at least half of their staff of their employees are going to be remote. Twitter has said the same thing.