Bold Steps to Expand Broadband Internet Access in Rural America During the Pandemic

As the pandemic deepens the digital divide, a $20 billion rural broadband auction offers more of the same, critics say.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Thursday launched the first phase of its new Rural Digital Opportunity Fund auction, which will provide internet companies with $20 billion in subsidies over the next 10 years to build out broadband networks in underserved parts of the country. The funding will connect roughly 10 million Americans who don’t have any internet access or are on slow speeds, according to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai.

Pai has called the auction, which represents the commission’s largest investment ever in rural broadband, “the biggest and boldest step yet to bridge the digital divide” for rural America. But industry insiders, and even a fellow commissioner, say the program is deeply flawed and that FCC continues to rely on data that excludes the neediest Americans.

Rural broadband has been a federal policy priority since 2009, when Congress directed the FCC to develop a National Broadband Plan and ensure universal access. But a decade later, and after billions of dollars in subsidies to internet providers, the urban-rural gap persists, with rural Americans over 10 times more likely to lack quality broadband access.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, access has become a daily essential: millions of children in rural and Southern states whose families lack high-speed internet have been locked out of virtual classes, sending them in search of stronger signals in parking lots and fast-food restaurants. Smaller-scale farmers, who already derive most of their income from off-farm sources, struggle to work other jobs online.