Broadband internet is essential
This is the opinion of Hailee Thayer, CSB senior
Unless you have been living under a rock, chances are you’ve heard something about infrastructure. Biden’s newly passed infrastructure bill will provide funds to repair, rebuild and improve existing infrastructure including roads, airports and broadband internet across the nation.
The total budget for these repairs and builds is $1.2 trillion, $65 billion of which goes toward providing more broadband infrastructure to American communities.
Broadband internet is essential for many things including schoolwork, jobs and healthcare. More than 30 million Americans live in areas that don’t have access to broadband with minimally acceptable speeds. This can be seen specifically in rural areas. The funds included in the infrastructure bill will go towards expanding broadband infrastructure and making sure that every American has access to high-speed internet and lowering the prices for internet service.
There is a disparity in the levels of internet access that was highlighted and exacerbated by the COVID pandemic. When children had to learn from home, many couldn’t participate equally because of a lack of high-speed internet access. Now some kids are behind while others are ahead, partly because some didn’t have equal access to high-speed internet. This will cause more discrepancies and issues as kids progress in the school system.
Some Americans didn’t have access to video calls with healthcare providers because they didn’t have the speed needed.
Over the course of the pandemic, we saw an increase of video health calls. In theory it’s a great idea but in practice it gets a little tricky. The probability of calls dropping or being low quality is higher for those who don’t have access to high-speed internet.
That’s why this funding for broadband is so important. The funding will help build these access points for broadband and expand it to rural communities. An increase in connectivity means an increase in education and health equality and equity. Giving people access to high-speed, affordable and reliable internet means giving people access to information. Americans will become more educated with access to information that may not be readily available elsewhere.
Not to mention how expensive internet access is. Of 35 countries studied, the United States has the second highest broadband costs. Increasing the supply of broadband will decrease the price and make it more affordable for all Americans. Overall, I don’t see any cons to including broadband in this infrastructure bill, if anything there should’ve been more money attached to it. Broadband internet is an essential aspect of life today and increasing the access will increase the quality of life for many (if not all) Americans.