Broadband Highlighted as Economic Development Issue During Coronavirus Pandemic

Broadband has been a key indicator of disparities in economic and social development opportunities, and this has become even clearer during a crisis requiring the rapid expansion of virtual connectivity. Economic development and recovery, especially in areas where these impacts have been exacerbated by a lack of reliable, high-speed internet, will increasingly rely on expanding access.

Broadband and Economic Development

Ensuring reliable, high-speed internet access is a vital part of economic development, connecting residents and businesses to one another and to outside markets. Not only is broadband access a key consideration for new businesses and residents when making decisions about where to invest and locate, but it is also an important catalyst for inclusion and equity with regard to education, workforce development, and healthcare.

Technology innovation and “e-Connectivity” are drivers of economic growth, supporting increased productivity, improved operations, enhanced healthcare options, educational opportunities, and competitive entrepreneurship. In the “information economy”, the ability to connect and share data virtually is essential to competitiveness, and opportunities for job creation and growth increasingly rely on connecting with workers in remote locations, as well as the ability to train and educate workers virtually.

This is especially salient for rural communities -- according to a recent report from the FCC, over 20 million Americans lack access to reliable and affordable high-speed internet, with nearly 80 percent of this disparity concentrated in rural areas. This leaves parts of the country with diminished access to government services, healthcare, and educational opportunities. Additionally, according to a 2017 USDA report, 29 percent of U.S. farms do not have internet access, leaving many farmers and agricultural businesses without opportunities to take advantage of advancing technologies.

Broadband: Coronavirus Implications

The coronavirus pandemic has revealed deep inequalities in access to adequate and reliable broadband, especially with regard to virtual work, education, and health opportunities. According to a recent Bureau of Labor Statistics survey, only about seven percent of U.S. employees had flexible workplace policies prior to the outbreak, giving them the option to work from home part or full-time. Workers in management, financial, or other professional services are much more likely to have telework options compared to employees in retail, construction, or other service or production jobs. In the context of a pandemic, this means disparities in exposure and risks related to the virus, with many employees in lower-paying jobs left without options to do their jobs from home despite safety concerns.

Some jobs cannot be done from home, for a variety of reasons ranging from the necessity of physical contact to security. However, there are many cases where employees are restricted from teleworking and businesses are operating at reduced capacity because they lack access to the adequate communications infrastructure to operate remotely, particularly in rural areas. Workers who would otherwise opt to reduce their risks and work from a laptop at home are heading to the office anyway, because they do not have reliable internet access to support applications like Zoom, WebEx, and other conferencing software, for example.

The pandemic is also exacerbating inequalities in educational and healthcare access. Students in areas without reliable broadband services face challenges to participating in virtual learning opportunities such as slow loading documents, stalled video conferencing, and other barriers to communication, and schools in these areas may be similarly unable to offer these services effectively. 

With regard to healthcare access, nearly 90 percent of rural counties in the U.S. are already considered medically underserved. Broadband access is essential to receiving health information and services for remote communities, and this issue is made even more serious during a new health crisis that will potentially add strain to already stressed rural health infrastructure.

How to Help? 

If you’re interested in expanding broadband in your community, a good place to start is the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). Their Broadband USA database collects funding opportunities across the federal government in one place, and has broadband information for each state.