Lawmakers have bemoaned the nation’s nagging digital divide for years, warning that gaps in broadband internet access in red and blue states alike are hurting Americans’ health, education and job prospects. The hulking bipartisan infrastructure package before the Senate this week would try to finally slam it shut. Other legal changes seek to stoke competition and transparency among service providers that could help drive down prices. “Access to affordable, reliable, high-speed broadband is essential to full participation in modern life in the United States,” the legislation states. Official estimates vary, but most suggest that tens of millions of Americans lack reliable access to high-speed internet, many of them people of color, members of rural communities or other low-income groups.

Source: New York Times August 02, 2021 21:11 UTC