Like many things in 2020, back-to-school preparations will look different than they have in years past, as many schools have chosen to start this school year virtually. As a result, the most-needed school supply may be internet connectivity.
The problem is that many kids don’t have adequate access to the internet. Many experts have expressed concerns about school-age children who may lack the necessary devices or connectivity, fearing a widening of the disparity in academic performance that already exists between students from lower-income families and their peers.
The challenge is not new — the digital divide is well documented — but the pandemic is exacerbating it, as students are stuck trying to learn from home.
To help teachers, students and families in this unique back-to-school situation, policymakers should seek solutions that do not erect further barriers to accessing technology and build on the successful internet infrastructure that America’s hands-off approach has fostered.
The right policy choices made in the coming months can help bridge the digital divide both during the pandemic and the years to come.
First, policy solutions should enable local choices and be technology-neutral. The digital divide is not just a rural issue, and the best options available to families and local leaders will vary.
The way one solves connectivity challenges in the Mississippi Delta, where I served as a Teach for America corps member, will be different than the solutions for the rural West or for inner-city Chicago. Some areas already have connectivity available, and policy solutions will need to assist in adoption.
In other regions, improved broadband availability is still needed, and consumers may be best served by traditional fixed wireless, satellite internet or even mobile-only solutions.
One proposed policy solution from two former Federal Communications Commission commissioners is for families to receive vouchers with which they could buy internet from the broadband provider of their choice.
Such an option could be quickly deployed for households that previously had been unconnected or connected at lower speeds when broadband is already available in their areas. Such a program could build on many of the low-cost internet essentials services already available from private companies.
Second, in regions that lack hardwired connectivity, policymakers should look for ways to free up unused or underused spectrum that can be quickly used by existing providers to expand services.
For example, at the start of the pandemic the FCC granted additional spectrum to wireless internet service providers in rural areas to support remote learning, telework and telehealth. Such additional allocation and flexibility allowed providers to respond to the increased need in these service areas by increasing bandwidth, speed and reliability in certain rural areas.
Finally, in addition to short-term fixes in the immediacy of the pandemic, policymakers should continue long-term strategies that will address the digital divide by building on America’s strong internet infrastructure and culture of innovation.
These strategies include not creating additional barriers for deployment, removing existing red tape such as “dig once” rules or reforming pole attachment rates, and enabling technologies, such as 5G or satellite internet, that provide different avenues for connection.
5G and other improvements in internet infrastructure will further improve the reliability and speed of connections as well as increase bandwidth, allowing more people to use it. Such improvements will support the increased number of devices needed in situations such as remote learning.
Innovation and technology have long been tools for expanding educational opportunities — whether tractors and washing machines in the early 20th century allowing more children to attend school, or educational apps today — and the current pandemic has highlighted the critical role it plays.
Policymakers likely won’t bridge the digital divide before September, but they should nevertheless act to address concerns about students without adequate connectivity.
In whatever they do, however, policymakers should act in ways that that encourage beneficial innovation and allow communities and families to find the best solutions to fit their needs.
