EdSource published this commentary from California Competes Executive Director Dr. Su Jin Gatlin Jez and ECMC Foundation President Peter J. Taylor on November 5, 2020. Broadband access aligns with California Competes’s commitment to equity by ensuring that every Californian has the connectivity they need to pursue higher education and engage in an increasingly web-centered world.
The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed and exacerbated a range of systemic inequities, from healthcare availability to employment opportunities and beyond.
For higher education, internet access is tipping the scales between the haves and have-nots. When the delivery of high-quality instruction depends on reliable, high-speed broadband connections for every student—as it does right now—anyone lacking the right resources gets left behind.
