Dear Mr. President and Members of the United States Congress:
As leaders in business, sports, and education, we have watched with alarm at the ongoing divide between students and teachers who have high speed internet and modern computing devices at home and those who do not.
The K-12 digital divide existed before the pandemic, has been allowed to persist during the crisis, and will continue long after the pandemic if strong action is not taken now. The digital divide contributes to serious learning loss among millions of students who already suffer from unequal opportunity, and it undermines economic output to the tune of tens of billions of dollars a year.
Digital technology is forever going to be an essential element of a successful education and it is fundamentally unfair and unhealthy for our society and economy that it is not accessed equally. We have joined forces to urge you to act now to ensure tech equity for all of America's students and teachers.
You are in a unique position to close the K-12 digital divide completely, in the short-term through a new stimulus bill and permanently through long-term infrastructure plans. There is no excuse for further inaction on behalf of America's students and teachers and we greatly appreciate your action to support them.
Sincerely,
Common SensePlayers CoalitionU.S. Chamber of Commerce
