Smart Communities & The Biden Administration: What We Should Expect
Source: Bill Maguire Published: January 2021
In an interview with New York Times Columnist Thomas Friedman published on December 2, 2020, President-Elect Joe Biden confirmed his support for Federal broadband funding and proposed that $20B should be spent. For those who support President Biden’s proposal, the next question is how best to implement a program to help expand broadband access and adoption, especially in rural areas of the country.
Common Sense Media’s “Closing the K-12 Digital Divide” report and NCTA & EducationSuperHighway’s “K-12 Bridge to Broadband” initiative both point to the potential efficacy of expanding broadband access through efforts to ensure that all K-12 Students have internet access at home. In this post, I examine recommendations put-forth in the “Closing the K-12 Digital Divide” report and the impactful public-private partnerships established by the K-12 Bridge to Broadband initiative.
Closing the K-12 Digital Divide
Earlier this year, the non-profit organization Common Sense Media partnered with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to release an important report entitled “Closing the K-12 Digital Divide in the Age of Distance Learning.” Funded by the Walton Family Foundation, the report assesses the scape, scale and impact of the so-called “homework gap,” provides a series of recommendations to address the K-12 digital divide and offers an estimated price tag for implementing the report’s recommendations.
The report is notable for its primary author, Common Sense Media, well-known as an organization providing trustworthy, independent information for children and parents about “how to thrive in the 21st century.” The report is also notable for its direct and well-supported call for action. In the concluding pages of the report, the authors make a compelling case for immediate and unprecedented action to the ensure equitable learning opportunities during the pandemic. The authors write:
As the report’s authors correctly point-out, adequate internet connectivity at home essential especially given social distancing measures under COVID-19. Less than ideal alternatives to at-home connectivity and devices, including reliance on computers and internet access at libraries or Wi-Fi at cafes are, in many communities, are no longer viable half-measures.
Click here to read more