NDIA Executive Director Angela Siefer On COVID-19 Stimulus: More Action Needed to Connect Millions of Households

On March 27 President Donald Trump signed the $2.2 trillion CARES Act to offset the economic impact of the pandemic and the public health response to it. Unfortunately, the CARES Act does not include meaningful help for tens of millions of Americans who are struggling to deal with closed schools, closed workplaces, limited access to banks and retailers, a mostly inaccessible health care system, and the public health obligation to “stay home”, possibly for months – all without the benefit of home internet connections. We are pleased to be able to point to the appropriated $50 million for the Institute of Museum and Library Services for digital equity efforts. But $50 million is a drop in the bucket. To enable IMLS and state, territories and tribal governments to promote meaningful short-term digital inclusion measures, Congress must:

• Quickly increase the appropriation for this initiative to at least $500 million, if not more; and
• Make clear that this funding is meant to support concrete, practical community action – by libraries, of course, but also by other public and nonprofit organizations as well – that will quickly connect poor and rural households to the Internet for education, healthcare, and other vital needs, during this crisis.

NDIA also calls on policymakers to consider two other measures as part of the nation’s emergency response to the COVID-19 crisis:

1. Creation of a new, across-the-board Federal broadband subsidy that would be available to all households meeting an income threshold, similar to SNAP or LIHEAP.
2. Emergency funding for quick-turnaround solutions that extend immediate affordable broadband service to unconnected communities and residents, including building Wi-Fi, school bus Wi-Fi, and rural fixed wireless setups. These solutions are likely to be implemented by local governments, anchor institutions, housing authorities and community volunteers.