Broadband access must be addressed

There is no sugarcoating the misery that the COVID-19 pandemic has produced, but some of the lessons learned from the crisis could prove beneficial in the future.

Resources need to be devoted to pinpointing the most effective way of addressing problems.

A good example is the issue of insufficient broadband internet access. Students, teachers, office workers and many others have had to rely on internet connections to do everything from going to work to attending a funeral.

But there are obstacles to quality internet access. One issue is that many people can’t afford to pay for broadband service. Another is that there are many locations where broadband options are few or there are problems getting a strong Wi-Fi signal. The latter problem often is depicted as a rural one, but it’s an issue even in heavily populated areas.

The Biden administration issued a report on the issue as part of its call for $100 billion in spending on broadband, part of the proposed American Jobs Plan. According to the administration’s “The Need for Action in Pennsylvania” report, 5% of Pennsylvania residents do not have broadband; 14% do not have an internet subscription; and 44% of Pennsylvanians live in areas where there is only one internet provider.

Berks County offers a good illustration of the problem. Though parts of Berks are rural, the county sits in a heavily populated region with considerable development. Yet many have difficulty gaining access to broadband internet service. A Berks County Intermediate Unit report based on 2019 census data found 19.2% of Berks residents don’t have internet access; 16.4% don’t have computers; and about one-third of households that do have internet access don’t have broadband connectivity. A Zoom meeting on a slow connection simply does not work.

While schools, some working in conjunction with internet providers, have done a good job making sure students have the equipment and connection they need to attend class online, many other people are on their own. Popular ways of dealing with the problem are to rent wireless hot spots and use Wi-Fi outside libraries and school parking lots. These are not ideal solutions.

Scott Major, chief information officer for the Berks County Intermediate Unit, is researching broadband access in Berks for a community broadband project and looking at how to obtain subsidies for low-income families. He said the problem is not just lack of connectivity but lack of knowledge of how to get and use the service. Affordability is another big factor.

The state and federal governments have been taking steps to address some of the issues that make broadband inaccessible for so many. Clearly resources need to be devoted to pinpointing exactly which areas are having problems and the most effective way of addressing them. Doing so is going to require expensive infrastructure.

Congress already has allocated $850 million for broadband to Pennsylvania in the American Rescue Package, and state officials have enacted legislation aimed at tackling the issue, with more in the works.

Ultimately it’s going to take coordination among all levels of government and key players in the private sector to improve the situation. And it must be improved.

Some may think of this sort of technology as a luxury. That is hardly the case. People rely on broadband connectivity to go to school, do their jobs and even have medical appointments. With what we’ve learned during the pandemic, that trend is only going to continue.

BCIU’s Major described what’s needed well when he said, “We are hoping that broadband access will be just like having a phone line and electricity.”

These changes are not going to happen overnight. In the meantime let’s build on efforts to provide Wi-Fi in more public places so people who need it have a place where the service is easily available. And we strongly encourage the companies that provide internet access to redouble their efforts to make it affordable for those with low incomes.

This is far from the only issue that’s come to the fore due to the pandemic, but it must be near the top of the priority list for government, nonprofit groups and businesses.