Universal Broadband: The Perpetual Problem

Though an entire year has passed since the beginning of the pandemic, many of the broadband access problems that were present last March have only worsened with the passage of time. The solutions proposed by lawmakers, while flashy and attention-grabbing, have done nothing to address the root causes of the issues of internet access and equity, a damning reflection of the ineffectiveness of the government’s reaction to the pandemic and what it means for the American people. As with other aspects of the United States’ COVID-19 response, the majority of the burden has fallen on state and local governments to fix the problems facing their constituents. The lack of consistency caused by this anti-federalist response has led to disparities and inefficiencies in proposed solutions, with different governments drawing from different priorities and policies. As a result, local governments in rural areas have fallen to relying on flashy but ultimately unsustainable solutions to deal with the problems at hand. Rather than trying to deal with systemic issues, these governments have opted for short-term solutions that garner much attention without providing any fundamental relief. The only true, long-run solution is to create a national wireless network, one that provides universal broadband service for all citizens.