Access to Broadband Alone Won't Solve Inequality During COVID-19, Says Brookings Panel
More access to broadband is needed to battle racial inequality in the COVID-19 pandemic, but isn’t enough, said panelists Tuesday on a Brookings Institution panel focused on whether expanding broadband during the pandemic could alleviate racism and systemic inequality. Broadband…
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access is “necessary, but not all sufficient,” said Kaya Henderson, a former chancellor of the Washington, D.C., public schools. African American communities need better access to broadband for employment, education, and to interact with government institutions, but the internet isn’t enough if other issues aren't addressed, said Henderson, now CEO of education tech company Reconstruction. “Stop treating these like they’re siloed issues,” she said. Being connected has become increasingly necessary to work and get an education in America, and COVID-19 has greatly intensified that, said Brookings Senior Fellow Nicol Turner Lee. “America caught the ‘Rona, and black folks have caught hell,” said Marc Morial, CEO of the National Urban League. “It has been revealed by this pandemic that broadband is a public utility, and we should treat is as such,” said Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program fellow Andre Perry. “ The U.S. should have a Broadband New Deal, addressing job creation, training, and expanded broadband adoption and access, said Turner Lee. “A laptop and broadband is the same as paper and pencil” for students, said Henderson.