A bipartisan coalition of 11 governors, including Pennsylvania’s Gov. Tom Wolf, recently sent a letter to President Donald Trump and Congressional leaders urging an efficient and effective strategy to deploy broadband access quickly.
Approximately 18 million Americans, 14 million of whom reside in rural areas, lack access to broadband internet. In Pennsylvanians, this is nearly 1 million residents.
In the COVID-19 pandemic, broadband access is necessary for educational access, employment, and quality healthcare. Lack of broadband threatens entire communities, people’s livelihoods, and their lives, the letter said.
Rural communities, especially, will be negatively impacted because they are less prepared to mitigate the pandemic and adapt to a post-pandemic economy, the letter said.
“An investment in broadband internet connectivity is an investment in our commonwealth’s future and prosperity,” Wolf said. “The critical need for high-speed internet has become clear in light of our efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, as more families work and learn from home, businesses operate online services, and patients access medical care through telehealth. Now, as Pennsylvania focuses on our economic recovery, it’s critical that broadband internet access becomes a reality for every community, and especially our rural areas.”
It would cost $80 billion to bring broadband to areas that do not have access, according to the Federal Communications Commission.