The Technology 202: Kamala Harris will lead the Biden administration s push to bring every American online Cat Zakrzewski
with Aaron Schaffer Vice President Harris will lead the Biden administration s unprecedented effort to ensure every American has access to affordable, high-speed Internet. President Biden announced the veep would take the lead on the issue during his first address to a slimmed-down joint session of Congress, where he touted his proposal to create new jobs through investment in expanding Internet access. Biden said his Americans Jobs Plan, which includes $100 billion for broadband expansion, will ensure that rural Americans who still don t have access to fast Internet connections can get online.
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What Are States Doing to Bridge the Digital Divide?
State governments, in addition to governments at the local level, have taken concrete steps to close the digital divide over the past year, though experts argue those efforts were largely patchwork or emergency efforts and must be sustained in the years ahead.
According to the nonprofit National Digital Inclusion Alliance, states took actions primarily in four areas: expanding internet access, expanding device access, increased tech support and digital literacy efforts, and planning and coordination of digital equity efforts.
For example, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey committed $100 million in Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding to purchase internet service for low-income households with eligible K–12 students.
WASHINGTON Kimberly Vasquez, a high school senior in Baltimore, faced a tough problem when the pandemic began. She had no fast internet service in her home, but all her classes were online.
Marigold Lewi, a sophomore at the same school, was regularly booted off Zoom classes because of her slow home connection.
Lewi spent a lot of time explaining Zoom absences to teachers. Vasquez sat outside local libraries to use their internet access and at times used her phone. The two of them helped push a successful public campaign for better and free service to low-income families in the city.
President Biden boards Air Force One at Pittsburgh International Airport on Wednesday.Credit.Anna Moneymaker for The New York Times
President Biden is set to hold his first cabinet meeting on Thursday, convening his administration’s top officials for an in-person gathering at the White House a day after he rolled out his $2 trillion infrastructure plan.
The afternoon meeting comes just over 10 weeks into Mr. Biden’s presidency, a period in which the Senate confirmed all of his cabinet secretaries and almost all of his nominees to other cabinet-level positions. It will be held in the East Room, rather than the Cabinet Room, to allow for social distancing.