November 16, 2021

Many students in rural communities across the U.S. will now be able to get stronger and cheaper Internet connections, thanks to the infrastructure bill recently signed by U.S. President Joe Biden.

During the pandemic, students were forced to attend online classes, but for those living in rural areas such as the Appalachians and other tribal communities, it was a very frustrating experience, hampered by a lack of good Internet connectivity. With the $2 billion allocated to the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program from the $65 billion program, students and people living in rural communities will now enjoy improved Internet access.

Commenting on the latest development, Christopher Ali, an individual studying internet access at the University of Virginia explained, said: “This is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to pour in this much money. For students who are un- and under-connected, this will hopefully make a tremendous difference in their online learning experiences or just in their educational experiences more generally.”

For more information, read the original story in NPR.