These suggestions address the exigencies of the moment. But the time has long passed for the country to open the door to the information age for communities that are locked out.

The daunting challenge of trying to get distance learning up and running comes as school districts are already struggling to feed students who rely on school breakfasts and lunches to stave off hunger. An analysis of policy statements by 46 districts that was released last Friday by the nonpartisan Center on Reinventing Public Education found considerable confusion among districts about how to deal with issues of technology and internet access. Only about a third of the districts said they were working to deliver laptops or tablets to students. Only five said they were delivering mobile phones or wireless hot spots to students, while more were encouraging parents to sign up for internet service. Few districts had comprehensive learning plans, and most were sharing links to “optional assignments on publicly available websites.” No district examined by the center had “a clear solution for ensuring that 100 percent of students have a … device and reliable, long-term access to the internet.”

This scramble is taking place in an atmosphere of uncertainty over how long the shutdown will last. Districts will need more money — and new expertise — if it turns out that a comprehensive online infrastructure is needed for the long haul.

The pandemic-driven changes undertaken by KIPP, the nation’s largest public charter school network, give a sense of how schools have had to adapt and how obstacles vary by region. The network is using its buses to deliver food to communities that need it. Where internet connectivity is poor, the network’s buses also drop off work packets that are later picked up for grading. The lack of internet access in poor and rural communities comes up again and again as educators talk about the pandemic.

Commissioner Rosenworcel’s access plan focuses on expanding the federal program known as E-Rate, which helps qualifying schools, school systems and libraries acquire broadband at up to a 90 percent discount. E-Rate program funding is based on demand, up to an annual F.C.C.-established cap of $4.15 billion. It would be a simple matter for the commission to extend the program so that schools can buy hot spots that are then distributed to needy students.