Those without broadband struggle in a stuck-at-home nation

Julie Dolan, chair of her town's Broadband Committee, poses with her computer on the steps of her family's rural home in Sandwich, New Hampshire. Image via AP.

Millions of Americans working from home are learning to use online video in place of face-to-face meetings, but that’s not an option for those with only a trickle of data service.

Brie Morrissey, who owns a building outfitted with broadband in Dublin, New Hampshire, would prefer to maintain social distance by working from home. But she keeps heading into the office for the connection, and as a result, is constantly cleaning the place — wiping down door knobs, the bathroom sinks and “every inch of the building,” she says.

Morrissey avoids other tenants and won’t rent space to anyone else. Most people recover from the virus, but the elderly and those with underlying conditions are more likely to get seriously ill or die.

“I have to tell people to stay home and that we can’t accommodate them, which is a hard thing to do for a small business owner in a small town,” she said. “You obviously want to help. But following guidelines means for the most part we can’t.”

Students, meanwhile, struggle with a “homework gap” when they can’t get or submit assignments, much less watch online lectures or participate in discussions. Online schoolwork is now the norm, but the millions of students who don’t have home internet or access to computers at home require creative solutions as schools shut down.

In rural western Alabama, less than 1% of Perry County’s roughly 9,100 residents have high-quality internet at home, so online lessons are out. County teachers spent three days manually loading scanned images of math worksheets and other materials on to iPads and Chromebooks for the system’s 1,100 students to take home while out of class, said Superintendent John Heard.

A New York City family shelter has no Wi-Fi and 175 school-age children, only 15 of whom have laptops. City schools are sending some kids tablets equipped with internet service. But Estrella Montanez, who runs the shelter, worries that kids will have trouble managing remote work.

“Many families are not so tech-savvy,” she said.

Lawmakers want the federal government to send schools and libraries more money to lend out Wi-Fi hotspots to students. But the FCC says it’s not authorized to do that under current law and is discussing a solution with Congress.

On Navajo Nation, the country’s largest Native American reservation, it’s common to see people sitting in their vehicles at night outside local government centers, fast-food restaurants and grocery stores to connect to Wi-Fi. Diné College is lending laptops to students and asking internet providers to improve service.

Digital-access advocates hope that this crisis propels the government to do more to get people connected. In some places, relief was expected later this year. But that’s too late to help with the current crisis.

A cable company is supposed to start servicing Berkshires town Peru, Massachusetts, later this year. State Rep. Paul Mark has only satellite internet now, though, and that doesn’t let him videoconference. Even Facebook video is a strain. And, like many others in his area, he also has unreliable mobile service at home. To help his constituents, he has to get in his car and drive around to get on calls and go on local TV and radio.

“It’s a hassle,” he said during a recent phone interview from his car as he drove to the Boston statehouse. Then the line went dead.