Federal Support Needed to Help Close Digital Divide

by Edward Malizia

The Connecticut Association of School Administrators (CASA), is the largest organization in the state that solely represents the interests of school administrators. As educators, we see the critical importance of students and staff having access to high-speed internet. The pandemic only exacerbated the digital divide between those with and without access to high-speed internet.

Despite efforts by administrations on both sides of the aisle, high-speed internet has remained elusive for the last twenty years. We are on the cusp of true universal connectivity thanks to leaders like Senator Blumenthal, who worked on the bipartisan infrastructure proposal.

In addition to some of Connecticut's most rural and remote areas, the law allocates $65 billion for connecting the remaining six percent of homes without access to high-speed Internet. All that stands in the way is one thing. As long as federal leaders do not act to speed up utility pole access, 100 percent connectivity will remain a distant dream.

It has been decades since utility poles played an important role in the nation's communication infrastructure. Our reliance on the internet has only grown stronger over time. Internet service providers should attach their technology to existing utility poles in unserved areas - communities with no access to high-speed internet infrastructure. Electric companies, co-ops, local utilities, and other entities own utility poles, not broadband providers. To affix their technology to poles, providers must obtain permission and pay a fee. It would all be fine if pole access was governed by a functional system.

“Our experience as Connecticut educators has taught us that students without high-speed internet are at a distinct disadvantage.”

There's a lot of red tape and confusion in the permitting process. Some pole owners don't feel the same urgency about broadband access as unserved Connecticut residents. Even though providers have shown they're willing to pay for pole attachments, sometimes disputes arise over access costs. Disputes can drag on for months before they're resolved. There's no fast-track for pole access or a system to resolve disputes, so unserved communities can be stuck without internet for a long time.

These broken processes hurt unserved communities the most. Our experience as Connecticut educators has taught us that students without high-speed internet are at a distinct disadvantage. It's kids who have to do their homework in library parking lots because they don't have internet at home. As a result, they fall behind their peers who have access to the internet for homework and distance learning.

There's plenty of hope in the bipartisan infrastructure law that everyone will have high-speed internet. Senator Blumenthal is the kind of leader in Washington who can make sure we create the right conditions so this law works.

Edward Malizia is the Chairperson of Connecticut Association of School Administrators (CASA).