Last August I was just like any other mom of a high school senior, planning my daughter’s senior year. It was exciting, I was going to see my daughter participate in all the things that I never got to do.
Last spring when the pandemic hit and school shifted online, it was very difficult in our rural area. Schools gave us hot spots but they don’t work where I live. Our school district also helped with internet costs for those that didn’t have internet before August. However, some of us fell through the cracks. We had internet access but my partner lost his unemployment in October. Luckily we managed to keep our internet so my kindergarten student could still do her schoolwork but it was a struggle for us to do so. I ended up watching my daughter graduate on Facebook.
Students are not the only ones struggling. In March, I went to the ER and ended up needing surgery. All of my follow-ups have been online. My in-laws are in their 80s and have all their appointments online as well. My partner was laid off in May and needed the internet to job hunt, do interviews, and file unemployment. All of these things required a stable internet connection that we do not have just because of where we live.
With everything from libraries to coffee shops closed down, we need affordable internet access. Internet is no longer a luxury. It’s a lifeline that this pandemic has shown we need.
Kathryn Sharpe
Arlington
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