Talking Points: Minn. Education Commissioner Talks Bandwidth Issues For Distance Learners
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- While we know schools will not be open for the rest of the school year, it's not yet clear if they will reopen in time for the fall.
Just about everyone you talk to, families, students and teachers will tell you that online learning is no substitute for being in the classroom.
That's especially true for Minnesotans without access to high-speed internet.
The state estimates that 16% of Minnesotan's do not have access to internet with speeds of at least 25 megabits per second. That is what you need to be able to participate in a teleconference.
But the state acknowledges even more Minnesotan's have internet access that is not fast enough to download and play videos -- it's an issue that has been around since the internet has existed. The COVID-19 pandemic has only highlighted this issue of internet haves and have nots.
Mary Cathryn Ricker is the Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Education. She was a guest on WCCO Sunday Morning.
"Even with careful planning we are still seeing what people are calling the digital divide,co devices certainly across the state as well gaps in access to the internet or broadband," Commissioner Ricker said. "And so even when we are putting together those best analog lessons we recognize that our students really deserve our work to expand access to both devices and the internet."
Last year the Minnesota Legislature authorized $40 million in grants to expand broadband access, and at the federal level, Senator Amy Klobuchar is the co-sponsor of a bipartisan $2 billion bill designed to level the internet playing field.
But as the pandemic continues with no clear end in sight, the issue of equal internet access will almost certainly gain more urgency.
