U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand says it’s about time that lawmakers get serious about reliable, high speed internet infrastructure.
She’s calling for $6 billion in a bill called the Emergency Broadband Connections Act, to provide funding to the Emergency Broadband Benefit program.
It provides a $50 per month payment assistance for workers who have been laid off. “This funding is critical to closing the pervasive digital divide in our country. Many students and families across New York have been trying to do the impossible and get by in the era of COVID without access to broadband in their homes — instead, they are relying on free public Wi-Fi or limited satellite internet,” she said. “Limited access to reliable internet has not only increased the learning gap for students but it has also prevented millions of Americans from accessing the vital online employment, government, and health care resources they need during this time.”
However, the bill stops short of providing increased infrastructure, where internet service isn’t achievable.
Students are most-impacted by the lack of high speed internet, Gillibrand says.
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