On Thursday, December 3, news site Axios welcomed a group of experts including Federal Communications Commissioner Geoffrey Starks to discuss what lies ahead for access to broadband in the United States. In the virtual event titled “The Future of Broadband Connectivity: COVID-19 and Beyond,” speakers repeatedly drove home one message: we must make universal broadband access a national priority, and quickly.
Photo by the National Cancer Institute
“The digital divide is impacting those that are disconnected in so many ways,” Commissioner Starks said, explaining that helping Americans through the pandemic is his primary focus. He named four key areas being hit the hardest: the economy, personal connections and mental health, telemedicine and telehealth and education.
“Access to telemedicine and telehealth via affordable, reliable broadband is going to be extremely important to making sure that folks can safely manage their health from home,” Starks elaborated, highlighting the need for the elderly in particular to be able to take advantage of these services.
However, there is a secondary issue here: Wi-Fi.
Wi-Fi is how most Americans experience broadband. We no longer plug in our computers and dial into the Internet. Instead, our phone, tablets, laptops and smart home devices run over Wi-Fi. As we continue to live out our lives within the confines of our homes, Wi-Fi provides our connection to the outside world, allowing us to continue to work, attend school, or maintain some semblance of a social life. Wi-Fi is likely the reason you’re able to read this post.
Access to the internet is not just having Wi-Fi via broadband in your home—it’s having Wi-Fi that works. Even if you have broadband in your home, Wi-Fi will not work effectively if the networks are congested due to a lack of spectrum.
Though it wasn’t covered in the Axios event earlier this week, the FCC has been taking action to help and make that goal of reliable Wi-Fi a reality for all Americans. They recently voted unanimously to allocate spectrum for Wi-Fi usage in the 5.9 GHz band of spectrum, enhancing the American public’s ability to get and stay online at a time when connectivity is more important than ever before.
Throughout the past 7+ months, the COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the digital divide in America. Those in underserved and unserved communities are struggling to get in touch with their doctors and stay ahead in school at a time when connecting remotely is a necessity. With this said, the recent action by Commissioner Starks and the rest of the Commission will help to close that divide greatly by improving everyone’s access to Wi-Fi.