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Power Up with Broadband: Impact of High-Speed Internet & Rural Communities
February 25, 2021 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Congressman Clyburn has been the leading voice in Congress on making high-speed internet accessible and affordable for all Americans. The current pandemic crisis has highlighted the digital divide and the need to ensure all Americans have the ability to work, learn and receive health care via the internet.
“Speaking to a gathering in a small rural Tennessee church in the early 1940s, a farmer proclaimed, ‘Brothers and sisters: I want to tell you this. The greatest thing on Earth is to have the love of God in your heart. And the next greatest thing is to have electricity in your house.’ Just as the Great Depression made clear to all that electricity was the ‘next greatest thing’ in the 20th century, the coronavirus pandemic is making clear to all that broadband is the ‘next next greatest thing’ in the 21st century,” said House Majority Whip Clyburn. “Just as the Rural Electrification Act made electricity accessible and affordable to all Americans, the plan we are announcing today will make broadband accessible and affordable to all Americans. As we see millions of our fellow Americans unable to telework, learn remotely, or access telehealth because they lack broadband, now is the time to act.”
As a member of the House leadership, Congressman Clyburn championed a provision in the recent COVID-19 relief legislation that provides $200 million for a pilot program to help health care providers receive necessary broadband connectivity and devices for telehealth, provides $25 million to expand investments in distance learning and telemedicine and allows both community health centers and rural clinics to be reimbursed for telehealth services during this time of emergency. His support of the CARES Act also provided nearly $500 thousand to the South Carolina State Library Agency to aid students in distance learning.
Many of the “best value” models, from traditional farming to broadband education, involve a high level of support from the scientific/technical community, sales directly to the end consumer, alternative marketing approaches, and the development of niche markets. Additionally, growers who process what they grow into added-value products appear to increase their revenue opportunities but also incur higher risk at the onset.
Digipreneurship University has spearheaded community education around the disparities in broadband connectivity efforts by facilitating strategic partnerships between community leaders and service providers and by supporting funding to ensure accessible and affordable broadband for all Floridians. We are working with wireless providers in the state to offer discounted rates to seniors, parents, and students in need. We are also engaged with local internet providers like ATT, Xfinity, and Hargray to encourage them to do more to support BIPOC communities during this public health crisis when access is crucial for services like virtual learning and telehealth.
Five years ago, DigiU, in partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Jacksonville started a pilot project in New Town working with new and existing homeowners in New Town to survey residents on internet access and adoption rates. The critical data results revealed a number of solutions to connect every resident in the county to internet access and most importantly broadband education for basic computer knowledge and digital literacy.
