Broadband and COVID-19: Education

by Joan Koo and Daniela Leon, IEDC Interns 

Broadband internet is an essential tool for educators, parents, and students. While access to high speed internet has long been a challenge for rural communities, school closures and distance learning models introduced by the pandemic demand urgent solutions. 

The Digital Divide

According to the 2013-2017 American Community Survey (ACS), 78 percent of households across the United States are subscribed to an internet service provider. However, rural and low-income households’ internet subscriptions trail behind urban counties on average, and this trend is also reflected in the quality of broadband access for school districts in these areas. The Broadband Availability Map designed by the Center On Rural Innovation shows that rural school districts located in the South, West, and Midwest are the most disconnected regions. This digital divide, exacerbated by the effects of COVID-19, highlights inequality between connected and disconnected school districts. 

Solutions

Federal relief packages such as the CARES Act have designated funds toward education activities, but broadband connectivity is not included. Therefore, EDOs should be proactive in seeking broadband access remediation through programs or collaborative efforts. Private companies and organizations have moved quickly to fill the digital connectivity gap via public-private partnerships. The State Education Technology Directors Association (SETDA) is one of the main not-for-profit organizations leading the charge in increasing state and national leaders’ capacity to improve education through technology policy and practice. The organization has issued connection speed targets and has helped school districts strategize for improved broadband access and funding for infrastructure. 

Telecommunications magnates such as Google and Verizon have made strides to collaborate with communities in need through initiatives such as the Kansas City Coalition for Digital Inclusion. The effort between Google and Kansas City has gained momentum since 2014 in its goal to improve digital access for marginalized communities within the Kansas City metro area. Most recently, their collaboration with Google Fiber has led to cooperative agreements that establish public access to home tech and broadband. Other companies such as AT&T and CenturyLink have followed suit and started large-scale fiber upgrades. 

At the community level, governments have taken initiative by introducing bills and grant programs that encourage the expansion of broadband service to student households at little to no cost. Since April, over 40 bills that address some aspect of broadband access have been introduced by state legislatures across the country. In Minnesota, bill SF4494 appropriates $8 million for emergency distance learning and broadband access grants. The Mississippi legislature introduced the Technology Instruction and Digital Access to Learning (TIDAL) Act to establish digital learning programs for K-12 education and provide grants for electronic devices used in instruction. While technology for education is an important part of the conversation, the COVID crisis has demonstrated that connectivity takes precedence. 

Consequences - and Urgency

According to John B. King Jr., President of The Education Trust, the lack of proper connectivity and devices widens the learning gap among U.S. students. This results in a long-term educational attainment gap between students who have access to broadband infrastructure and those who do not. With regard to compounding events such as natural disasters, areas that have experienced these disruptions show an increase in dropout rates from high schools, and students who have experienced financial and health constraints due to a disaster are less likely to pursue higher education. As a result, the cycle of low incomes and vulnerability to future shocks is repeated.

Moreover, as King explained during a recent Brookings Institution webinar, the experience of distance learning is different depending on income and location, and the pandemic has brought to light a host of other factors that influence students’ online learning experiences. 

“Some households may not have enough devices for all children to attend online classes. Parents may not be able to work from home so students are on their own. Students may need to take care of younger siblings while their parents are at work,” 

Students from lower income households are more likely to experience these difficulties than their counterparts from higher income families. Moreover, limited funding opportunities and cuts in revenue due to COVID will make it even more difficult to overcome disparities among schools. The COVID crisis presents the American education system with both challenges and opportunities to innovate and expand the role of equity in broadband access. Economic developers and local entities are left with lessons to rethink today’s broadband capabilities and reexamine how to improve distribution models in education.