The broadband benefit is near for college students, but needs to cross the finish line
Broadband access has long been essential for college students — professors communicate via email, papers are submitted online, and the internet is necessary for many assignments. But since the coronavirus pandemic began, broadband internet has become even more vital. College closures due to the public health crisis have left more students than ever learning online — 86 percent of students reported that they would be learning either fully or partially online last fall, and spring 2020 semester is shaping up to be more of the same. But with so many students online, rather than on college campuses, the burden of ensuring they have access to fast and reliable internet has fallen on students themselves.
But access to the internet is not a given. Many Americans, particularly in rural areas or living on tribal land, still lack access to broadband. According to a survey by ThirdWay and New America published in January, 28 percent of students still report “not always or often having a fast and reliable internet connection for coursework.” And these access issues reveal inequities — a survey commissioned by Higher Learning Advocates found that Black and Latinx students were more likely to answer that they relied solely on mobile data to access course materials and that they experienced difficulty accessing course content when using mobile data.
While lack of access remains a challenge, the most common reason for not having high-speed access is cost. According to ThirdWay and New America’s survey, over half of students — 54 percent — with an internet connection say it is a “significant” cost to them. This is a particularly relevant issue for lower-income students who may already be struggling with increased financial difficulties as the pandemic continues.
Last spring, Higher Learning Advocates recognized the need for action to ensure students’ access to broadband so they could succeed. We made two original policy recommendations, which have already seen progress in Congress: 1) that students who receive Pell Grants should be eligible for a broadband subsidy, and 2) that institutions should receive funding to assist students with broadband access and devices.
Policymakers have taken steps already to address the former. The December 2020 funding package included an Emergency Broadband Benefit that allows students who receive Pell Grants to receive a $50 per month subsidy to pay for broadband access. This is an important step forward — approximately 7 million students currently receive the Pell Grant, and the benefit ensures they are able to access broadband.
Progress is also being made toward institutional support for broadband access. In 2020, in response to our recommendations, Senator Klobuchar and Congresswoman Eshoo introduced the Supporting Connectivity for Higher Education Students in Need Act, which would appropriate $1 billion to establish an Emergency Higher Education Connectivity fund at the National Telecommunications Information Administration to help ensure that college and university students at historically Black colleges and universities, Tribal colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, and other minority-serving institutions, as well as rural-serving institutions, have adequate home internet connectivity during the pandemic. While this legislation has not yet been passed, Higher Learning Advocates and our partners have been working to urge Congress to further support students and institutions.
Though progress has been made, there is still much work to be done to ensure students have access to broadband and can succeed in higher ed as the pandemic continues and beyond. Though the Emergency Broadband Benefit was a huge step forward, without proper implementation, many students will continue to lack access. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is responsible for implementing the benefit, including creating the technical means that will allow students to receive financial assistance. It’s essential that the FCC provide guidelines and create processes to enable internet services providers, students, and institutions to access this benefit. Higher Learning Advocates recently submitted comments to the FCC recommending steps forward. In addition, students need to know that this benefit is available and communications around the benefit may be challenging. And while these steps toward ensuring broadband access during the pandemic are important, students will need support well into the future through a more permanent infrastructure of support for students and institutions.
For nearly a year now, students across the country have been adapting to swift and sometimes jarring changes within higher education. Closed campuses, lack of access to resources like child care or stable housing, and grappling with the pandemic itself have become the new norm for today’s students — the very least that they need is a stable online connection to their campus communities and school work. While many challenges remain, ensuring broadband access for college students is within reach, and could not come soon enough.
