21m Americans remain without any broadband connection at all and it is especially a problem in rural areas: the Pew Research Center estimates that a third of rural Americans do not have broadband at home. Poor internet access in rural areas was already an issue before the pandemic. It is now more important than ever
“I think rural communities are realising that this is as deep a divide as access to electricity was at the turn of the century,” says Abigail Spanberger, a Democratic member of Congress who recently won her semi-rural Virginia seat from the Republicans. “And if politicians want to be attentive to the communities they represent, broadband matters.”