League President Jennifer Robinson of the Cary Town Council has urged the White House to do all in its power to improve broadband access in the United States,
noting in a letter to President Joe Biden that the pandemic has “laid bare" how serious the need is. “In North Carolina," she wrote, “we have seen school children and their parents struggle for access to online learning, workers met with unreliable connections to perform job tasks from home, and business owners' strain to connect with customers and vendors."
As such, “broadband is no longer a luxury," President Robinson said, adding the issue affects rural and urban residents alike. Many areas are unserved or underserved; in some areas with broadband access, improvements are needed to keep up.
“As you consider this issue and its effects across the United States, we urge you and your designees on the Federal Communications Commission to consider the longstanding inadequacies in FCC mapping of broadband availability, and how these maps allow internet providers to claim service that simply does not exist," President Robinson told the White House. “This mapping has the effect of understating the need for better access and allows incumbent providers to hide their failures in meeting the needs."
The League's podcast, Municipal Equation, explained the FCC broadband mapping issue
in a 2018 episode and, likewise, has for years pressed for state law changes
that would allow local governments to assist in the provision of superfast internet.
“To meet the communications challenges of the 21st century, we must use all tools in our reach," said President Robinson in her letter. “Roadblocks at the federal or state level that prevent that kind of approach need to be cleared for all Americans to reach their potential."
Last Friday, League Chief Legislative Counsel Erin Wynia appeared on
a national podcast explaining clearly the need in North Carolina and suggesting solutions.