The Center for Rural Affairs is advocating for equal broadband internet access in Nebraska, an issue of top concern as school districts make plans to for the upcoming school year.
COVID-19 has brought light to the millions of students without home internet access, a barrier often referred to as the "homework gap." Remote learning during the pandemic has made it clear how important internet access is for students stuck at home.
"This is going to take a concentrated effort of funding and partnerships between local communities, state governments, the federal government, and private internet companies, to get internet deployed to houses that need it,” said Center for Rural Affairs policy assistant Trenton Buhr said. "It’s definitely a long process, but with the right information it’ll happen, it will just take a long time."
The homework gap is outlined in a fact sheet released Thursday that looks at home internet access for students, in an effort to bridge the gap in the U.S. and Nebraska.
The fact sheet shows an estimated 12% of school-age children lack access to internet service at home. And in Nebraska, 21% of teachers assign more than half of their homework online.