Broadband Scarcity Looms Over Virtual School Year

As school districts hammer out plans to hold fall classes partially or fully online, educators and regulators are scrambling to get as many students connected to the internet as possible, highlighting the ongoing connectivity divide that threatens to further disadvantage low-income and rural learners. The problem is big enough that Congress may need to offer an answer. Chicago has demonstrated a particularly good model by striking contracts with providers like Comcast for bulk sponsored service accounts, which let the school district pay for the service and provide it to students' homes. The city's $50 million Chicago Connected plan, announced in June, seeks to get 100,000 students online over the next four years.