Local Outreach Efforts Important For Broadband Funding Support, Panelists Say
Experts say efforts to convince lawmakers of the importance of broadband are finally bearing fruit.
May 27, 2021–Local outreach efforts are bearing the brunt of improvements to broadband rollout in communities, a Net Inclusion webinar heard Wednesday.
Part of the effort to get more government money is getting people to understand the importance of broadband and having more local advocates taking their case up to local, state and federal levels of government, the conference heard.
Olivia Wein, an attorney for the National Consumer Law Center, said part of that effort is convincing lawmakers that broadband is as essential as other utilities, such as water. The pandemic has helped the cause, showing that transitioning from the workplace to the home seamlessly is critical for education and the workforce.
Wein said it was rewarding seeing her efforts on Capitol Hill and the Federal Communications Commission bear broadband money in the Covid relief bill in December.
Francella Ochillo, the executive director at Next Century Cities, said she’s been on a mission to push for an understanding that “everyone deserve[s] broadband.” She explained this was not a universal yes, and until that happens, it’s difficult to get the funding to make it available, let alone affordable.
“We need to get this done right, so our future generations don’t have to come back,” said moderator Angela Siefer of the National Digital Inclusion Alliance.
Yosef Getachew, a director at advocacy organization Common Cause, points out the success of hybrid and virtual school for students, the opportunity made available by being able to work from home, and the huge success for telehealth. Getachew shares the opinion, “we’re not going back.” Covid-19 provided an opportunity to improve the lives of so many, and these panelists are seizing that opportunity to make that happen and close the divide.
