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. 

The Comprehensive Broadband Connectivity Act, originally co-sponsored in the New York state Assembly by Mike Norris (R-Lockport), tasks the state Public Service Commission to study the availability, reliability and cost of broadband services. The Public Service Commission is tasked with: identifying barriers to the delivery of internet at a census block level, which is the smallest geographical census unit; problem solving for underserved areas with available technology; and identifying providers' noncompliance with franchise agreements where local governments have complained to the commission. The act also calls for the creation of an internet access map to show the places in New York state where insufficient access is causing a “digital divide.” The map would include information about downloading and uploading speeds and consistency, the number of internet providers, their price and what technologies they have available: dial-up, broadband, wireless, fiber optics, coaxial cable or satellite. A full report is due one year after the effective date of the act and it is to include the number of residences with or without internet access, a regional survey of internet service prices in comparison to county-level median income, and consumer subscription statistics. There will also be at least one public hearing in an upstate region and one hearing downstate within a year of the act becoming effective.

The COVID crisis has highlighted both the severity of the so-called "homework gap" and the shortcomings of early remedies like mobile hotspots and even low-cost home broadband plans. Now, more than a year into the pandemic, schools and cities across the country are increasingly testing novel ways to get students connected, not just for the duration of the pandemic, but for the long term. As schools search for new ways to get kids online from home, Congress recently allocated nearly $7.2 billion in stimulus funding for the Federal Communication Commission's E-Rate program to help with remote learning. While E-rate has traditionally covered on-campus internet and devices, the new Emergency Connectivity Fund is specifically designed to help reach students at home and close the homework gap. According to the Consortium for School Networking, school districts in New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, and Utah are all setting up their own private wireless networks to offer students a higher quality connection than hotspots can provide. In Oakland, the city is working to bring its fiber network to four low-income apartment buildings where a substantial number of students on free and reduced lunch plans live. Will the new E-rate funding will cover projects like these?