(CNN) Every education expert knew that when the pandemic shuttered school buildings last March, America's persistent digital divide would be a huge problem. A 2017 US Senate report found 12 million children didn't have access to broadband internet at home. Governments and internet service providers worked to provide reduced-cost or free broadband connections and Wi-Fi hotspots to families who couldn't afford them. "We don't appreciate just how much of a steep curve that this is for families," Lakisha Young, a founder of Oakland REACH, told CNN. "We're not having enough conversations about tech support, tech trainings, workshops, putting parents in a power position around technology."

Source: CNN January 23, 2021 18:11 UTC