Rural Broadband Overview

Recent COVID-19 events have highlighted the disparities in the digital divide as students have been learning remotely and employees have worked from home. Congress has tried to address the need for broadband in rural areas with varying degrees of success. However, President Trump signed into law the Broadband DATA Act in March 2020, which aims to improve how the Federal Communications Commission collects, verifies and reports broadband data.

The following is a roundup of actions taken at the federal and state levels as well as what some states are doing on their own.