By Anuja Vaidya, mHealth Intelligence, November 12, 2021
The Federal Communications Commission plans to authorize more than $700 million in funding to broadband providers in an effort to boost internet connectivity in rural areas.
Millions of Americans lack access to broadband, though there are quibbles about the exact number. According to the FCC, the number of U.S. residents without broadband access totaled 14.5 million at the end of 2019. But an independent research organization BroadbandNow claims that this figure is much higher as of 2021, with at least 42 million Americans lacking access to terrestrial broadband internet. And, despite some gains over the past 10 years, rural Americans are still less likely than their suburban counterparts to have broadband at home and less likely than urban Americans to own a smartphone, tablet or computer.
This creates obvious problems for healthcare access. Those without broadband are cut off from health IT advancements, including the expansion of telehealth offerings, further limiting their access to care.
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