Crossing the Broadband Divide

$90 Billion vs. the Digital Divide: Is It Enough to Fix Internet Access in the US?

Congress approved a colossal sum of money that it believes will be enough to connect Americans left out of the modern digital world.

By David Lumb

Internet Aid Cut: How the Loss of FCC's ACP May Worsen the Mental Health Crisis

April is the last month that 23 million low-income households will receive the FCC’s Affordable Connectivity Program benefit.

By Joe Supan

As Broadband Access Lags, Cities Build Their Own Networks to Get Communities Online

For many Americans, high-speed internet can be unaffordable or unreliable. Cities are stepping up to bridge the gaps left by large, private companies.

By Abrar Al-Heeti

Digital Divide: Broadband Access and the Streaming Video Disparity

Having endless content a few taps away is a marvel, but for many people with slow or restricted internet, it's a future that's still far away.

By Geoffrey Morrison

No-Cost Internet Upgrade: My Tips for Speeding Up Your Home Internet

You can spend money on high-speed internet plans and expensive routers, but will any of that really help you get better internet?

By Nelson Aguilar

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.

By Shara Tibken

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.

By Katie Collins

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.

By Marguerite Reardon

The Latest

COVID-19 vaccine is tough to find unless you're an internet genius with broadband

For many seniors and people of color, technology is a barrier to getting the vaccine.

By Erin Carson

How coronavirus stimulus funds helped one state create a 'broadband miracle'

Mississippi could become a broadband giant.

By Marguerite Reardon

States couldn't afford to wait for the FCC's broadband maps to improve. So they didn't

Georgia, Maine, Pennsylvania and others took mapping into their own hands, building their own granular data to pinpoint gaps in internet coverage and apply for federal funding.

By Shara Tibken

Millions of Americans can't get broadband because of a faulty FCC map. There's a fix

A fundamental flaw in closing the digital divide is not knowing where the problems actually are. We're finally about to see changes.

By Shara Tibken

Here's the place that will make or break Biden's $20 billion broadband plan

Biden's broadband plan faces a serious test case in Appalachia's digital divide, where a potent mix of extreme poverty, lack of infrastructure and poor data present tremendous hurdles to the president's dream of closing the broadband gap.

By Rae Hodge

Why millions of Americans still lack broadband at a time when it's no longer optional

CNET reporters Maggie Reardon and Shara Tibken get to the heart of the problem for Now What.

By Brian Cooley

As COVID-19 ravages the world, closing the digital divide is more critical than ever

CNET is continuing its series that looks at why the broadband gap persists and how we go about closing it.

By Roger Cheng

FCC Chair Rosenworcel launches broadband mapping task force

The head of the new task force warns it could take until next year to fix the FCC's flawed maps.

By Marguerite Reardon

In remote Alaska, broadband for all remains a dream. So a school district got creative

A district in the Aleutian Islands has built a wide area mesh network to enable virtual learning -- skirting the need for internet access in students' homes.

By Shara Tibken

School is starting -- and the broadband gap will be a massive problem

The digital divide means millions of American children don't have broadband connections at home, even as their schools hold virtual classes.

By Shara Tibken

Coronavirus lockdown, lack of broadband could lead to 'education breakdown'

As schools shift to online teaching, students without access to broadband could be left behind.

By Marguerite Reardon

COVID-19 shines light on 'digital divide' across the US

From rural areas where broadband doesn't exist to poor areas where it's unaffordable, millions go without internet access just when they need it most.

By Marguerite Reardon

Electric cooperatives could be the key to solving the rural digital divide

Presidential candidates look to power companies created under the 1930s New Deal to solve a 21st century issue for rural Americans.

By Marguerite Reardon

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.

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.