The Privilege of Working & Studying From Home

Post summary: How to advocate on behalf of households with no access to internet connectivity or devices.

My next blog post will be about working and schooling from home, and I wanted to preface it with this:

As families around the country struggle to adapt to the challenges of working and schooling from home around the clock this upcoming fall, some do not have the necessary tools for online learning and productivity. Across the country, many students and families have limited or no access to adequate internet connectivity and dedicated devices.

The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund called upon internet service providers that affirmed their commitment to racial equity this summer to help hundreds of thousands of students of color as countless schools transition to online learning.

Those who feel inclined can take action by writing to and/or using social media to tag Internet Service Providers and demand that they do their part to make certain that this nation’s schoolchildren receive the education they deserve.

Here are some of the requests outlined by the LDF that I am demanding of our ISP:

• We insist that our ISP works with local school districts to determine what is needed for underserved families in regards to connectivity and accessibility.

• We request that the providers offer free internet to households with school-age children for the upcoming/current school year, and ensure that the service provided is strong enough to support multiple family members streaming classes at the same time.

• We ask that the ISP forgive any customer arrears that prevent families with children from accessing the internet.

• We demand that the service provider makes their accessibility options known by advertising the access to these services widely and aggressively through flyers and U.S. mail for families with no phones, at school pick up sites, and through phone calls and emails, and ensure that materials are translated and accessible for non-English speakers and people with disabilities.

From the The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund:

Any plan to educate America’s children that includes distance learning must address the fact that countless children will be left without educational access unless we undertake an aggressive effort to ensure access to computers and free high-speed internet connection for every family with children. As the new school year approaches, we ask that internet service providers act on their commitments to addressing structural inequalities and racial injustice by taking the series of actions outlined in our letter to help ensure that our nation’s schoolchildren receive the education they deserve.

Access to the internet and technological devices has been limited for many students of color throughout the duration of the pandemic – and it only stands to worsen as COVID-19’s socioeconomic implications continue to unfold. In April 2020, 54% of Latinx broadband users and 36% of Black users reported worrying about their ability to pay bills over the next few months, compared with only 21% of white users. As pandemic-related government moratoriums on evictions, foreclosures, and utility shutoffs begin to expire and federal unemployment benefits end, many families will soon face more monthly bills and be forced to prioritize immediate necessities, like running water and shelter, over internet access. Children should not be cut off from distance learning simply because their parents cannot afford an internet bill or because rural communities have been forgotten in the age of internet reliance and necessity.

Moreover, this pandemic-induced financial strain comes while many school districts have announced that they will be offering at least some form of distance learning for the foreseeable future — or requiring students to work remotely altogether. Therefore, as the 2020-21 school year approaches, access to online learning remains one of the most pressing needs for students and families of color. While some school districts have distributed devices to their students or encouraged local businesses to open hotspots, these measures are not nearly enough to meet students’ needs.

As a result, LDF is calling on internet service providers to act on their stated commitments to racial equity by expanding their coverage areas and providing free internet access and technology to low-income and communities of color.

Internet service providers must act swiftly to implement these measures to ensure that all students have the tools to succeed in the coming school year. As an organization deeply familiar with the challenges that face schoolchildren of color and their families face when it comes to achieving a quality, integrated education, we recognize that the digital inequities in this country represent a pressing racial justice issue that must be remedied in order to guarantee students’ equal access to quality education.