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A30 FEATURE
Wednesday 1 april 2020
Those without broadband struggle in a stuck-at-home nation

By TALI ARBEL and home internet could man- less than 1% of Perry Coun-
MICHAEL CASEY age a remote medical ap- ty's roughly 9,100 residents
Associated Press pointment, and these days have high-quality internet
NEW YORK (AP) — In Sand- no one wants to visit the at home, so online lessons
wich, New Hampshire, a doctor if they can help it. are out. County teachers
town of 1,200 best known That leaves 19th-century spent three days manually
as the setting for the movie technology -- the phone. loading scanned images
“On Golden Pond," broad- “That is all I would have,” of math worksheets and
band is scarce. Forget she says. other materials on to iPads
streaming Netflix, much As schools, workplaces and Chromebooks for the
less working or studying and public services shut system’s 1,100 students to
from home. Even the po- down in the age of coro- take home while out of
lice department has trou- navirus, online connections class, said Superintendent
ble uploading its reports. are keeping Americans in Julie Dolan, chair of her town's Broadband Committee, poses John Heard.
Julie Dolan, a 65-year-old touch with vital institutions with her computer on the steps of her family's rural home in A New York City family shel-
Sandwich, N.H., Thursday, March 26, 2020. In the town of 1,200
retiree in Sandwich, has and each other. But that’s best known as the setting for the movie “On Golden Pond," ter has no Wi-Fi and 175
asthma. Her husband has not much of an option broadband is scarce. Forget streaming Netflix, much less school-age children, only
high blood pressure. Dolan when fast internet service is working or studying from home. Even the police department 15 of whom have laptops.
doubts her substandard hard to come by. has trouble uploading its reports. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) City schools are sending
Although efforts to extend Associated Press some kids tablets equipped
broadband service have from check to check and ing from home are learning with internet service. But Es-
made progress in recent can't afford internet. Her to use online video in place trella Montanez, who runs
years, tens of millions of senior center, where she of face-to-face meetings, the shelter, worries that kids
people are still left out, plays bingo, does puzzles but that’s not an option for will have trouble managing
largely because phone and gets lunch five days those with only a trickle of remote work.
and cable companies hesi- a week, is closed. So is data service. Lawmakers want the fed-
tate to invest in far-flung ru- her church and the library Brie Morrissey, who owns eral government to send
ral areas. Government sub- where she checks email. a building outfitted with schools and libraries more
sidies in the billions haven’t She's gotten texted photos broadband in Dublin, New money to lend out Wi-Fi
fully fixed the problem. of her newborn grandchild, Hampshire, would prefer hotspots to students. But
Many more simply can't but forget about a Zoom to maintain social distance the FCC says it's not autho-
afford broadband. U.S. call to see the baby. by working from home. But rized to do that under cur-
broadband costs more There are no definitive she keeps heading into the rent law and is discussing a
than in many comparable numbers on those without office for the connection, solution with Congress.
countries — an average of broadband. The FCC puts and as a result, is constantly On Navajo Nation, the
$58 a month compared to the number at 21 million, cleaning the place -- wip- country’s largest Native
$46.55 across 29 nations, but its data is faulty and ing down door knobs, the American reservation, it’s
according to a 2018 Feder- most likely undercounts the bathroom sinks and “every common to see people
al Communications Com- problem. An independent inch of the building," she sitting in their vehicles at
mission report. group called Broadband- says. night outside local govern-
Such disconnected peo- Now pegs it at 42 million. Morrissey avoids other ten- ment centers, fast-food res-
ple “already have to work The digital divide dispro- ants and won't rent space taurants and grocery stores
harder to tread water,” portionately affects rural to anyone else. Most peo- to connect to Wi-Fi. Diné
said Chris Mitchell, who areas, African-Americans, ple recover from the virus, College is lending laptops
advocates for community Latinos and Native Ameri- but the elderly and those to students and asking in-
broadband service at the cans on tribal lands. with underlying conditions ternet providers to improve
Institute for Local Self-Reli- Phone and cable compa- are more likely to get seri- service.
ance. “I don’t think people nies have pledged not to ously ill or die. Digital-access advocates
appreciated the magni- cut people off if they can't “I have to tell people to hope that this crisis pro-
tude of the problem.” pay bills and opened their stay home and that we pels the government to do
Even in cities, the high cost Wi-Fi hotspots to the pub- can’t accommodate more to get people con-
of internet access means lic. Some are expanding them, which is a hard thing nected. In some places, re-
many go without. Low-cost low-cost programs for poor to do for a small business lief was expected later this
local alternatives such as people and lifting data owner in a small town,” year. But that's too late to
libraries and cafes have caps so more people can she said. "You obviously help with the current crisis.
shut down. In St. Louis, get and stay connected. want to help. But following A cable company is sup-
Stella Ashcraft, 63, lives Millions of Americans work- guidelines means for the posed to start servicing
most part we can’t.” Berkshires town Peru, Mas-
Students, meanwhile, sachusetts, later this year.
struggle with a “homework State Rep. Paul Mark has
gap” when they can’t get only satellite internet now,
or submit assignments, though, and that doesn't
much less watch online let him videoconference.
lectures or participate in Even Facebook video is a
discussions. Online school- strain. And, like many oth-
work is now the norm, but ers in his area, he also has
the millions of students who unreliable mobile service
don't have home internet at home. To help his con-
or access to computers at stituents, he has to get in
home require creative solu- his car and drive around to
tions as schools shut down. get on calls and go on lo-
In rural western Alabama, cal TV and radio.q