The broadband gap's dirty secret: Redlining still exists in digital form
Communities that couldn't get mortgage loans in the 1940s are the same areas without fast home internet service today. There's no easy fix.
What the US can learn from Europe about broadband affordability (and what it can't)
Increased competition and more government support have helped keep broadband prices low in Europe, but not everything is perfect.
Broadband costs too damn much. Real solutions may finally be coming
The US digital divide isn't just due to lack of service. In many cases, the lack of affordable options is the real problem.
The homework gap may be the key to solving our digital divide
Over the past year of distance learning, US schools have learned who has access to broadband at home and who doesn't.
The digital divide has left millions of schoolkids behind
US schools are going back to in-person learning as COVID ebbs, but the so-called homework gap will persist.
Microsoft expands low-cost broadband push to 8 cities to address inequality
The Airband program is designed to provide inexpensive internet access and computers.
When the choice is internet or food, broadband policies aren't working
The digital divide is a massive global problem. Even in wealthy countries, families are forced to make compromises to ensure their children have the required internet connection for remote learning.
How the pandemic helped one state create a 'broadband miracle'
Mississippi could become a broadband giant.
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Crossing the Broadband Divide
Broadband is as critical to our lives as electricity and running water. Having a reliable, speedy internet connection means the difference between participating in the digital economy or getting left behind. The coronavirus pandemic, which forced many of us to stay home, made that abundantly clear.
Yet millions of Americans still lack access to high-speed internet, a problem so big that everyone from lawmakers to agencies like the Federal Communications Commission agree that no one really knows the exact magnitude despite unreliable data that says the broadband gap has narrowed to just 14.5 million households.
That's where CNET's Crossing the Broadband Divide package comes in. This series will shine a light on the hurdles and missteps preventing people from getting broadband and profile those looking to uncover tangible solutions to this problem. The goal: Find a way forward to a world where anyone can tap into the opportunities that stem from internet access.