Around an hour away (or less) from the Silicon Valley, there are many communities with limited to no broadband access and a dire lack of affordable, reliable internet connection at home.

~30 million people in rural areas have no home internet access. It looks like this. https://twitter.com/sehurlburt/status/1298702396743233536

It is ~*ridiculous*~ that so many “OMG TECHNOLOGY CAN CHANGE THE WORLD” types exist, and I can get a ton of decadent bullshit on my doorstep posthaste, but the incentives to build affordable, scalable, reliable, accessible internet at home haven’t really showed up at scale.

Essential services and significant portions of the economy have shifted online for most of my lifetime. If this whole digital economy business is going to be a thing, isn’t the digital economy better when more people are connected?!

can we get some sensible freaking economics work done on the digital divide — namely, resulting in equitable policy alternatives to the status quo, and perhaps some incentive realignment PLEASE?!

… then let’s veto edtech trying to replace teachers with videos and spyware

If you’ve ever seen the numbers for how many kids get free or reduced lunch in the US, it’s pretty easy to understand how every kid isn’t going to have the newest devices (not shared with anyone!) w/ the fastest internet and biggest data plan for school. not possible, now or ever

i will never, ever forget seeing a bunch of white, privileged edtech advocate teachers from affluent districts talk about how the digital divide gets solved because “the kids can just go to mcdonalds or starbucks for free wifi if they don’t have it at home”

we would call them karens now, but just a few years ago a group of teachers certified to be educators at our public schools across the country couldn’t see why just sending the kids to a fast food restaurant was not a solution for the digital divide

they did it AT AN EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE and IN THEIR WEEKLY TEACHER CHATS

it's no wonder that remote learning curriculums and remote class schedules are so difficult for students and their families, especially when teachers/adminstration pass the buck re: lack of internet and technology by sending the kids to starbucks. or mcdonalds. or wherever.

providing internet access to rural areas and disadvantaged students was awful before the hellhole of 2020 began. solving these issues requires significant empathy and cleverness -- it's heartbreaking to think how much worse it's going to get for students before it gets better.

can we just get some http://althea.net  style mesh networking going so the kids can have all the internet they want for school /pursuing their own interests ?

... so what if they hack the planet? the internet is made out of popsicle sticks + tape and needs redesign anyway

lol silicon valley is gonna change the world but they can't even come up with solutions for tech problems in their backyard

especially any problems anywhere near income inequality