Tech on the Rocks Episode 8: Back to School Without Broadband: The Digital Divide and the Fall Semester

The COVID-19 pandemic is still raging in the United States, and despite President Trump’s push for schools to open “100%," many, if not most school districts are moving to either an all-virtual or hybrid learning model to start off the school year. Even though schools closed last March, millions of American children are still without the robust broadband connectivity and devices they need to do their school work. Pressure by the FCC on the broadband industry to fill this void has not moved the needle enough and Congress has not yet passed legislation that would provide broadband to those who cannot afford it. This has left the job of filling the “education gap” to states and cities. On this episode, Gigi talks with Jeff Sural, Broadband Infrastructure Office Director for the North Carolina Department of Information Technology and Leon Wilson, Chief Digital Innovation & Chief Information Officer for the Cleveland Foundation, about the obstacles to universal broadband access and what states and cities are doing to ensure that all of their residents are connected as the school year approaches. Hear their perspectives and much more on Episode 8 of Tech on the Rocks!