As promising as telemedicine is for rural medicine, obtaining a high-speed internet connection for telehealth is an impossibility for tens of millions of rural residents who are on the wrong side of a seemingly intractable digital divide.
Op-eds
Boucher LTE for The Hill: The internet is easing the pandemic’s strain on society
It’s no secret that the pandemic is putting a strain on all segments of our society – but we’re pushing forward. That resilience is largely possible thanks to one of human-kind’s greatest and most complex inventions: the internet.
Bruce Mehlman: Economic recovery from coronavirus demands more available, affordable and accessible broadband
As policymakers focus on helping Americans rebuild our economy and our lives, they can take meaningful steps to close the digital divides and accelerate our comeback by making broadband more available, affordable, accessible and American.
Let’s Learn From Europe’s Broadband Mistake
IIA Honorary Chairman Rick Boucher, founder of the House Internet Caucus, says the US’s better internet performance during the coronavirus pandemic is attributable to sustained private investment that has been encouraged by a light-touch regulatory regime for broadband.
Telemedicine Rules Should Be Permanently Eased
Medicare and state telemedicine restrictions have been eased during the coronavirus pandemic, and these changes need to be made permanent, writes IIA Honorary Chairman Rick Boucher. Doctors can see more patients and get fairly paid for it, and patients can use smart phones and personal computers to get needed medical advice.
Congress Punished Rural TV Viewers, and We Will Pay the Price During the Pandemic
For us newly minted shut-ins, TV has become even more of a lifeline as we seek out news on the virus … and a respite from it. For thousands of rural Americans, that lifeline may soon be cut off, leaving their households blind, right at the time we need to see what is going on.
Coronavirus Makes It Clear: We Need to Digitally Empower More Women
With our lives upended by COVID-19, it’s increasingly clear that government, industry and NGO leaders all need to play a role in supporting the transition of millions of women into more tech-centered jobs, and every woman in this country needs access to broadband.
How COVID-19 Is A Study In Why We Need Broadband For All
Realizing the measures necessary to stop the coronavirus has made IIA Co-Chair Kim Keenan even more resolved to get the word out that everyone needs access to broadband, regardless of where they live, how much money they have or the color of their skin.
Why Larry Irving Is The OG Blerd Who Forever Changed The Internet For Us All
We need Black professionals and students to carry on Irving’s legacy of grappling with the tech industry’s lack of diversity, discrimination-by-algorithm and mishandling of personal data.
Larry Irving: A Black History Month Call-to-Action
Black History Month presents an opportunity to highlight contributions of those who have paved the way for the United States to lead the world in technological innovation. Larry Irving is one of those stories.
It’s Been Five Years Since the FCC Took a Wrong Turn Toward Title II
Five years ago, the Federal Communications Commission went off a time-honored course – the course that had been set in the early days of the commercial internet by the Clinton Administration and followed during the administration of George W. Bush.
The Time Is Now for Congressional Action Rather Than Neutrality
Two United States senators finally decided to take action to pull us out of the net neutrality vortex. Sen. Roger Wicker, a Republican from Mississippi, and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat from Arizona, are ignoring the gridlock that is Washington to put the net neutrality issue to rest.