At the end of last week, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody teamed up with 38 other attorneys general to call on Congress to expand broadband access as the nation deals with the coronavirus pandemic.
Moody and the other attorneys general insisted expanding broadband would “help ensure that more Americans have the home internet connectivity necessary to participate in telemedicine, teleschooling and telework as part of any additional legislation that provides relief and recovery resources related to addressing the COVID-19 pandemic” as “millions of Americans are learning, working and seeking healthcare from home during this pandemic to social distance—making internet access crucial for participation in everyday academic and economic activities.”
On Friday, Moody weighed in on the topic.
“With many studying, working and seeking health care from home during COVID-19, internet access is more important than ever before. Congress must act and must act now to help ensure Americans living in rural parts of our country can participate in school, work and other activities vital to our everyday lives,” Moody said.
Moody and the other attorneys general called on Congress to: “provide state, territorial and local governments with adequate funding expressly dedicated to ensuring that all students, patients and senior citizens have adequate internet-enabled technology to participate equally in online learning and telemedicine; and increase funding to the U.S. Federal Communication Commission Universal Service Fund, that provides vital funding to rural and low-income populations, healthcare providers and educators with the goal of bridging the digital divide.”
The attorneys general of Alaska, American Samoa, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin also signed the letter.
Reach Kevin Derby at kevin.derby@floridadaily.com.
