- I thought I would have to stay back a grade level,
since I wouldn't be able to get technology
from around my rural area.
- The coronavirus has revealed hard truths
about this nation's digital divide.
So many students have been shut out of school
and told to go to class online.
But millions don't have access.
How are they gonna continue with their education?
[upbeat music]
- [Narrator] Across the nation, schools have closed
in response to the coronavirus pandemic,
forcing more than 50 million students to switch
to online learning plans.
- Why would something be prokaryotic?
- Doesn't have a nucleus?
- Yeah, good, it doesn't have a nucleus.
- [Narrator] But for students who live in a rural [area]
where access to broadband is hard to come by,
remote learning can pose some real challenges.
- Before this pandemic started, I would have to stay
in the parking lot at school in order to get
internet connection to my phone
Before I could do my assignments that were online.
- [Narrator] The 'homework gap' describes
the one in three households across the U.S.
that don't have access to internet,
causing some students to fall behind.
- Low-income households are most at risk.
Students from immigrant households are at risk.
Rural areas with kids are at risk.
We've got students whose households
might have just a smartphone.
Tatiana Gonzalez is a student at IDEA Public Schools
and lives in a rural farming community in Monte Alto, Texas.
- Yes, I was in the car in the parking lot,
trying to reach my arm up into the sky,
and trying to get the internet
connection, and seeing if the bars would go up.
- [Narrator] When her school started remote learning,
Tatiana immediately became concerned about her education.
- I was kind of nervous
since the pandemic was around.
And I didn't know exactly how to get internet access
or a computer
to access my work.
- [Narrator] Tatiana's case is not unique.
According to the U.S. Department of Education,
about one in five students living in rural areas
have no access to high-speed internet.
In Tatiana's school district alone,
nearly 16,000 students don't have access
to internet-connected devices or broadband.
- We knew knew that the biggest obstacle
was going to be access to technology.
We have over 17,000 devices that are being distributed
throughout our network. We are in the process
of distributing more than 6,000 MiFis.
- [Narrator] While Tatiana was given a laptop,
she wasn't able to get a MiFi from her school.
- I actually had to go to a store and purchase
the mobile hotspot with 5G.
So we had to upgrade our data plan.
It's kind of expensive for my family right now,
since we don't have a lot of money to spend right now,
since, of course, of the pandemic and wanting to get new
resources like food and paying bills.
- [Narrator] In Tucson, Arizona,
the Sunnyside [Unified] School District is using school buses
equipped with Wi-Fi hotspots to provide internet access
to over 3,000 students who lack broadband at their homes.
- We have 28 school buses that are parked
throughout our school district at select locations.
They're able to bring their laptops with them
and connect to the internet for whatever needs
they might have,
whether to check an email from a teacher
or, you know, to upload or download an assignment.
- History's judging us.
We should be aggressive and zealous and fix this
with the urgency that this moment demands.
- [Narrator] Commissioner Rosenworcel is proposing
that money from the E-Rate Program,
which funds broadband for public schools and libraries,
be used to purchase mobile Wi-Fi hotspots
for students who don't have internet connectivity.
- And I'm hopeful that as members of Congress head home
and see the homework gap in their own backyards,
they'll come back and figure out how to pressure the FCC
to move forward and also maybe
provide some additional funding
to make sure we can do so.
- [Narrator] So far, some internet service providers
have recognized the homework gap.
Companies like Cox, AT&T, Comcast, Spectrum,
and TDS are providing free high-speed internet
for 60 days to students and low-income families.
Despite the obstacles, both schools and students
are making the best of the situation.
- I am seeing firsthand the incredible work
that teachers are doing to ensure
that distance learning is up and running
that is rigorous, it's effective and personalized.
The amount that teachers are dealing with
during this time is incredible.
- It's been amazing, actually.
I have been able to do all my assignments,
get on the live classrooms,
office hours on time.
I've been able to talk with my teachers.
It's just been a really great help with having internet
access at home and having this computer.
[upbeat music]