Episode 133 Access and Accessibility to Broadband

Over and over we have been hearing from North Carolina teachers saying that they have not been able to reach some of their students during this stay at home order, one major reason being the lack of access to broadband. In areas across the state, broadband access is limited, particularly in rural regions, where some students are having to walk to schools or other publically available wifi hotspots just to do schoolwork on their devices. Even when broadband is available, other barriers to adoption prevent many of our households from being connected. This equity issue has been exacerbated in the wake of covid-19 and is leaving some students unable to communicate with their teachers and fellow classmates, unable to complete school assignments, and less able to access digital learning resources as other students staying home. Guests: Jeff Sural, Broadband Infrastructure Office, DIT Amy Huffman, Broadband Infrastructure Office, DIT Dr. Mark Samberg, director of technology programs at the friday institute for educational innovation