Every four years, January 20 represents a momentous day in America in which the President and Vice President are officially sworn into office, signifying the peaceful transfer of power that is Inauguration Day.
The swearing-in of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris was remarkable in a number of ways, from VP Harris becoming the first woman ever to hold the office to 22-year-old Amanda Gorman delivering a poem titled “The Hill We Climb” that left the entire audience and countless viewers around the nation speechless.
However, it was also impossible to ignore the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis on yesterday’s festivities and the initial actions of the new Biden/Harris Administration. Wi-Fi and connectivity were essential to the execution of Inauguration Day. The day also provided a sneak peek at what kind of role Wi-Fi will play as the new Administration pursues its legislative priorities in the First 100 Days and beyond.
In years past, presidential Inaugurations have featured large gatherings to celebrate a new Administration. For instance, the 2009 Inauguration Day celebrating President Barack Obama had a reported 400,000 people in attendance to witness the swearing-in of America’s first-ever African-American president. As a pandemic continues to rage with thousands of new cases each day, this type of gathering would simply not be possible for Inauguration Day 2021.
As an alternative to witnessing the Inauguration in person, platforms like Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, Twitch and others made it available to stream, allowing users to watch over Wi-Fi. Normally, the Inauguration festivities include an Inaugural Parade following the procedural actions of the morning. This year, the Biden Inaugural Committee arranged a virtual “Parade Across America” featuring everyday Americans and culminating in a performance of Bill Withers’ “Lovely Day” by Demi Lovato that President Biden was able to watch via a video conferencing service, with grandson Beau in hand.
Without the power of high-speed Wi-Fi, many of the COVID-modified virtual solutions would have been impossible on this unconventional Inauguration Day 2021.
Not only was Wi-Fi essential for the inaugural celebration, but, in the midst of the pandemic, it will also be essential for the Biden Administration’s everyday workings.
On his very first day in office, for instance, President Biden administered the oath of office to 1,000 political appointees via video conferencing services. With the COVID-19 pandemic still substantially impacting our nation for the foreseeable future, this type of “virtual governance” will be a consistent theme with the new administration.
With this week’s Inauguration now in the rearview mirror, the diverse benefits of high-speed Wi-Fi were on full display, both in the business of celebrating a momentous occasion and also in the business of running a country. We hope that in the new year and with the Biden/Harris administration, we can continue to work together to connect more Americans — from rural Americans to the new occupants of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.