University of Virginia
Why Internet Access is a Human Right -- And What We Can Do About It
A recent discussion at the University of Virginia, Addressing Barriers to Equitable Distance Learning, focused on how lack of internet access affects education, but also highlighted impacts related to health care, the economy and more. In an introduction, School of Education and Human Development Dean Bob Pianta outlined a “profound digital divide” that affects communities across the US, particularly low-income areas – both rural and urban – and communities of color. “The pandemic has exposed the realities and inequities of the digital divide,” he said.
Broadband 'Disconnect' Has Big Consequences for Midwest Farmers
The vast majority of farmers in the Midwest aren’t able to utilize “precision agriculture” GPS technology because they don’t get high-speed internet, according to Christopher Ali, assistant media studies professor at the University of Virginia. He said companies don’t want to put in fiber optic cable – considered the gold standard – because of its great expense. “There’s not enough customers on a farm, because there’s technically one customer on the farm – the farmer,” he said. “That doesn’t merit any of these companies coming out.