Libraries

In the fall and winter of 2020, New America embarked on a snapshot study to gather data on how—or if—people were discovering, accessing, and using their public libraries during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on materials that libraries made available online. Our findings, which include data from a national survey of 2,620 people, highlight the need for more inclusivity, more focus on providing internet access, and more awareness-raising initiatives with local organizations and schools.

The House of Representatives approved President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion pandemic rescue plan in a 219 to 212 vote, sending the measure to the Senate as Democrats race to pass it into law before boosted unemployment payments expire in March. The legislation includes a $7.6 billion Emergency Connectivity Fund. For the duration of the ongoing pandemic, the fund will enable schools and libraries to connect students and library patrons to broadband services and devices.

A growing concern as we considered telecommunications reform efforts in the early 1990s was the creation or emergence of a “digital divide.” It is an issue that remains with us today. In the early 90s, there was a desire to harness the awesome power of advanced, digital communications services to enhance education. My boss, Rep.

While the academic literature on the Federal Communications Commission’s E-rate funding is sparse, especially when it comes to analysis of library participation, it does indicate that libraries have benefited from the program. Since 2016, E-rate data has been provided openly by the Universal Services Administrative Company. We use the available data to answer questions about funding commitments to libraries including total commitments, commitments per applicant type and geographical coding, and number of unique entities.

As we begin 2021, the United States still grapples with the inequities laid bare by the coronavirus pandemic – especially the ever-present digital divide. The SHLB Coalition promotes open, affordable, high-quality broadband for anchor institutions and their communities because these institutions are key to connecting the estimated 42 million Americans without internet access. Community anchor institutions deserve a prominent place in the nation’s broadband policy framework because of their critical role in providing education, healthcare, research, and access to information.

A bipartisan group of senators and representatives unveiled highlights of the $748 billion Bipartisan COVID-19 Emergency Relief Act of 2020. Provisions for broadband include:

Dora the Explorer knew that maps were important to find one’s way. Unfortunately, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is still learning that lesson, particularly when it comes to broadband for the nation’s schools, libraries, healthcare providers, and other community anchor institutions. It’s no secret that the FCC’s current broadband maps are flawed.

“We should construct broadband policy based on the ways people use broadband, and that has changed drastically,” writes Benton Senior Fellow Jonathan Sallet in “Broadband for America Now.” He’s absolutely right. Everything has changed since the coronavirus pandemic began – including the ways we use broadband. SHLB has long argued that community anchor institutions (CAIs) require high-quality broadband to serve their communities in the 21st century.

For all that has changed since the Benton Institute released Broadband for America’s Future: A Vision for the 2020s, this goal remains paramount. In October 2019, we said that connecting our entire nation through High-Performance Broadband would bring remarkable economic, social, cultural, and personal benefits. We said that open, affordable, robust broadband is the key to all of us reaching for—and achieving—the American Dream.