You can't do online school from a McDonald's parking lot

Schoolchildren should not have to sit outdoors, in parking lots, to continue learning through a pandemic.

Tell Congress: "We urge you to pass universal and affordable broadband for all. This is essential to help support people working and learning from home during the crisis. It's also crucial to lasting economic recovery, by closing the digital divide and ensuring every household and community in America has the fast broadband it needs to thrive." ADD YOUR NAME It's not safe for children and teachers in most states to return to school in-person this fall. But remote learning is only possible if all students have internet access, and across the country, as many as 160 million people do not have reliable broadband. As one FCC commissioner said: it's a "national crisis." With no end in sight for remote learning and work, it is more essential than ever that all Americans have access to high-speed, high-quality internet. Congress needs to act now, before students without internet access fall behind. Tell Congress: Pass a bill ensuring high-quality broadband for all! Even before the pandemic, tens of millions of Americans, especially poor people living in rural areas, didn't have internet access. And it's not just rural areas: in Philadelphia, an estimated 17 percent of residents couldn't afford internet this spring. The school district actually encouraged students to go to parking lots near school buildings to access WiFi so they could do their school work. Schoolchildren should not have to sit outdoors, in parking lots, to continue learning through a pandemic. Of course, students aren't the only one who need internet access. Working from home, connecting with people who we can't see in person, and buying essential items online are only possible with access to high-quality internet. Americans have known about this problem since March. But Congress has not yet acted. Beyond that, it's a clear civil rights issue -- the big internet providers have long declined to provide service to poor areas out of their own greed. As a result, nearly a third of Black, Latino, and Native American children live in households that do not have access to high-speed internet.5 Congress needs to act now to ensure that every household has high quality broadband so students can complete their schoolwork from home. Will you sign the petition demanding high-speed internet access for all? Thanks, Team Progress DONATE NOW Sent via ActionNetwork.org. To update your email address, change your name or address, or to stop receiving emails from Progress America, please click here.