Waiting on the US House to bridge the digital divide

To secure a future of prosperity for America’s rural communities, we need to completely bridge the digital divide and ensure every American has access to the digital technologies that support success in our modern world. Substantial positive investments toward achieving the national goal of bridging the digital divide through broadband deployment, financial support for broadband service and digital skills training are included in the bipartisan Infrastructure and Jobs Investment Act recently passed by the US Senate. Now, America’s rural communities are counting on the US House of Representatives to swiftly pass this package, including the $65 billion down payment on closing the broadband gap. Nationwide, nearly one-fourth of Americans in rural areas still don’t have access to broadband, and rural adults are less likely to have multiple connected devices. As many as 29 percent of American farms still lack broadband access. The challenge is also not limited to rural areas — and substantially impacts every American community that lacks broadband access for all. House lawmakers cannot delay in passing the urgently needed package. Every American community is counting on Congress's leadership to bridge the digital divide.

[Betsy Huber is President of the National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry.]