New data shows that the majority of low-income parents are finding it difficult for their child to complete schoolwork remotely due to lack of stable internet and computer hardware.
, 59 percent of parents classified as low-income said their child either had to do schoolwork on their phone, use public Wi-Fi due to slow home internet or didn’t have access to a home computer. That compares to 30 percent of parents rated as middle-income and just 13 percent of those classified as high-income who said the same.
Difficulties with digital remote learning are again raising the issue of internet as a public utility in the U.S. Internet has become a necessity for the vast majority of workers and students in the country, and the longstanding problems of accessibility and affordability continue to stand as an unfair barrier for low-income households. Still, according to a 2019 Pew survey, just 28 percent of U.S. adults think the federal government has a responsibility to provide access to high-speed internet for all Americans. Widespread remote work and school coronavirus plans could act as a catalyst for bringing the affordable internet accessibility conversation to the forefront of public debate.
