Broadband matters

If ever there was an issue that deserved unanimous consensus amongst Nebraska lawmakers, the need for providing high-speed internet access from border to border is it.
We wouldn’t dream of going so far as to say that the pandemic we’ve all suffered through this past year has a silver lining, though in many ways the impact COVID-19 has had on our state and nation has clarified the need for broadband expansion. It’s absolutely essential, especially in 2021.
Reliable and affordable access to broadband internet is in very real terms an education lifeline, a job opportunity, a source of news and entertainment, and in some cases a matter of life and death, all rolled into one. For the most part we already knew that before the pandemic hit, but like 9/11, this past year’s COVID crisis has jolted us with a new sense of urgency.
The real-life examples are countless: Teachers trying to share lessons with students at home; business owners trying to keep the doors open and their staffs gainfully employed by working remotely; and people of all ages talking to their doctors via telehealth conferences. All of the above were new and innovative opportunities just a few years ago, but in 2020 they were, sadly, the only game in town.
Lawmakers at the state and federal level have been talking about the “digital divide” for years now, recognizing that it’s no longer just a disadvantage not to be able to log on to this invaluable resource. It’s a deal-breaker. Those who don’t have access, can’t afford or for whatever reason are not able to make a solid connection to the World Wide Web are falling further behind by the day.
Dist. 34 Sen. Curt Friesen is among those leading the charge to address the issue here in Nebraska. With Gov. Ricketts’ support, he proposed LB388 as a means of funding broadband expansion through grants distributed by the Public Service Commission. This bill is getting little if any pushback, Friesen reports, even with a $20 million annual price tag.
We can only hope that support continues through final passage, and that the urban/rural divide which has split senators on previous debates is bridged by a common goal. Nebraska could and should put itself on the leading edge of technology in today’s world, and there is no better way to do that than by providing the best broadband infrastructure possible. 
-- Kurt Johnson