What Closing Schools Reveals about the Digital Divide

Aimee Rullo, Business Development Manager at Nokia.

Aimee Rullo, Business Development Manager at Nokia.

As cases of the COVID Omicron variant surged in January, once again, U.S. schools and campuses, had to decide whether or notto close their doors to protect the health of students and teachers. However, this time that decision was made harder knowing the impact previous lockdowns had on students without reliable and accessible home internet connectivity.

We’ve all heard tales of families driving miles to sit in cars in restaurant parking lots to access school facilities over the restaurant’s Wi-Fi. In the United States, as more than 55 million students moved to online learning in 2020, almost 17 million couldn’t access the internet from home—and the learning paths of many more were disrupted by unreliable connections.

While it will come as no surprise that the number of unconnected households is higher in rural locations, widespread school closures opened many eyes to the digital divide in U.S. cities.

Billions of dollars have been injected in the past in the United States to connect underserved communities, but the pandemic showed how much more was needed. The Consolidated Appropriations Act and American Rescue Plan (CARES Act) established more than $600 billion in funds to share with state, local and tribal governments. The American Rescue Plan also dedicated $7.17 billion [RT1] in funding to support connectivity for students, school staff and libraries across the country.

Investing in the future with a more connected population

The case for connecting the underserved is a strong one; including big implications for job creation, social wellbeing and economic growth further down the line. A 2021 Deloitte report [RT2] found that a 10% increase in broadband penetration in 2014 would have resulted in over 875,000 additional jobs in 2019 and $186 billion more in economic output. The report also conveyed how higher broadband speeds can positively impact economic growth.

Collaboration is a key aspect of learning, and as the pandemic has made it more difficult for students to mingle,it’s become even more important to connect remotely and facilitate virtual collaboration.

It's vital as future COVID variants continue to pose a risk to in-person learning that all students have access to reliable broadband. So, how can authorities and education facilities close this digital divide? Some are responding by creating do-it-yourself (DIY) networks using Wi-Fi access points, internet routers and open-source software. But this can be an expensive solution, and one that lacks the scalability, reliability and security required to meet the simultaneous learning needs of many. In addition, the total cost of ownership very often turns out higher than expected.

Making private wireless networks more accessible using CBRS spectrum

It’s clear that a more integrated approach is required. Advances in private wireless networks fueled by 4G long-term evolution (LTE) and 5G have made it easier for schools and local authorities to accelerate their digital transformation.

One example of this is being seen in Cleveland where the 2019 U.S. Census’ American Community Survey (ACS) revealed 53,000 households didn’t have a broadband subscription plan. This divide became more pronounced during lockdown, and now non-profit organization, DigitalC, is leveraging private LTE to provide affordable, reliable high-speed internet access to unconnected households.

The network is using spectrum in the Citizen Broadband Radio Services (CBRS) 3.5GHz band. In 2020, the FCC approved the use of CBRS spectrum to be shared among different users, including enterprises and cities, making at least 80 MHz generally available and free to use. As a result, private wireless has been made even more accessible for those without access to licensed spectrum.

Where networks need to cover greater distances to connect students in rural communities, authorities can choose to deploy Fixed Wireless Access (FWA). In this instance, a radio link can be installed on top of a building to direct the wireless signal to customer premises equipment (CPE) at students’ homes.

The Dos Palos Oro Loma (DPOL) school district of California is in the process of deploying such a solution, in addition to leveraging CBRS spectrum. Using 4G LTE FWA technology, the District is providing reliable high-performance internet access to the homes of 2,400 students to meet the distance-learning needs of five campuses in the rural San Joaquin Valley. By implementing LTE and Wi-Fi hotspots, students will be able to connect over any laptop or tablet.

Facilitating greater collaboration

The deployment of private wireless networks will also make it easier and more cost effective for higher education facilities and college campuses to accelerate their digital transformation. The connected campus will allow students to access new capabilities such as augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR) to support research and studies. It will also allow them to benefit from more interactive ways of learning and better ways to collaborate – whether that’s face-to-face or via distance learning.

When local authorities and governments apply a holistic approach to connectivity, they can expand capabilities to even more services. As well as providing more affordable connectivity for students and households, they can also advance their digital transformation by connecting Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and enabling services such as smart city lighting, traffic and much more.

Advancing global learning

The connected classroom of the future could be used to extend learning opportunities to students around the globe. The United States is, of course, not alone in trying to close digital divide. A 2019 UNESCO [RT3] report revealed that globally just 55% of households have an internet connection, emphasizing the need to share resources and collaborate to drive connectivity. By closing the digital divide around the globe, online classes could be accessed by even greater numbers of students, wherever they are.

As the future new normal sees us relying more heavily on technologies, it’s vital that they are made accessible for everyone. In the United States and around the world, private wireless and FWA are making it easier for local authorities, governments to deploy reliable, secure and resilient broadband networks that will meet the needs of students wherever they are in an increasingly unpredictable world.