Without broadband, we are cut off from the rest of society

The pandemic and its exigencies changed our world. Without reliable access to broadband, our children can no longer compete in this new world where remote learning is a requirement and the Internet is the gateway to the entirety of the world’s information. Our sick and elderly can no longer access quality healthcare because their telehealth calls keep dropping and their physicians have slashed office hours. Our citizens are missing family reunions because their Zoom connection is too slow, and they cannot perform their jobs because their companies have closed corporate buildings in favor of remote working.

In 2020, what was once a luxury rapidly became a necessity. Now, without broadband, Appalachia really is a world unto itself, cut off from the rest of society and relegated to the outskirts of the modern human experience.