I've been at a bit of a loss over the last few days on what to write about, because suddenly newspapers, blogs, and social media are full of stories of how impossible it is for some students to work at home during the COVID-19 shutdowns. I've been writing this topic for years, and there doesn't seem to be a lot I can add right now — because the endless testimonials from students and families struggling with the issue speak louder than anything I can say.

There have been some tiny reactions of the federal government to help solve the issue. For example, the FCC removed the E-Rate exemption that said that government-powered broadband couldn't be used for the general public. This allowed schools and libraries to aim their broadband outside for the general public and for students trying to keep up with homework. This was always a stupid restriction, and I hope whatever DC bureaucrat originally dreamed this up is forced to use satellite broadband for the next year.

I've also seen notices from small ISPs that are distributing WiFi hotspots to students that need them. That is a great idea, and I totally support it. What I haven't seen is anybody talking about who is going to pay the cellular data bills on those hotspots when they come due. Verizon has helped a little by temporarily adding 15 GB of usage to its data plans, but it doesn't take long to rack up a big cellular data bill working on a hotspot.

These fixes are temporary bandaids. I'm sure any students benefiting from these recent changes are grateful. But it's still second-class broadband that makes families park in cars while kids do homework. And as much as cellular hotspots are a great solution that brings broadband to the home — it's also a curse if this brings monthly broadband bills of hundreds of dollars per month just to do homework.

I'm sure that most school systems will somehow slog through the rest of this school year. However, I've talked to several rural school administrators in the last week who worry that half of the children working at home are learning little or nothing while at home. I've seen school systems already asking if they should push all students to the next grade this year, whether they are ready or not.

The big challenge is going to come if this crisis carries forward into the next school year starting this fall. I doubt that there are many school systems with rural students that are ready to face this for a whole school year. Let's hope that doesn't happen, but if it does, then our lack of broadband for students becomes a national shame.

I don't have many suggested quick solutions that will help the homework gap by the fall. It's hard to even predict how much fiber construction will be done this summer due to social distancing — likely less than was planned.

One might hope that communities will install many more outdoor-facing hotspots. It would be nice to see these at every government building and at socially-minded businesses everywhere. This is a fix that is within reach of every community. Any business that has broadband ought to consider sharing it during the times of the day or night when the business isn't using it. Let's turn all parking lots for towns of all sizes into WiFi zones.

It would also be nice if the FCC could somehow turn up the pressure on the wireless carriers to provide fixed cellular broadband. This is the technology used by AT&T that beams data using cellular frequencies from cell sites to small dishes at homes. This provides a better indoor signal than regular cellular service, and the cellular companies price this more like a broadband service than cellular service. AT&T has halfheartedly rolled out the product as a way to implement their CAF II obligations — but the word from rural areas is that it's not marketed and nearly impossible for customers to buy. T-Mobile promised to roll this product out in every rural market as part of the agreement to merge with Sprint, and the government needs to hold their feet to the fire to make this happen quickly this year.

Unfortunately, the FCC sabotaged their ability to push for better broadband solutions when they killed Title II authority and stopped regulating broadband. The solution we really need this year is for Congress to resolve the Title II issue once and for all and to make the FCC responsible for finding broadband solutions. Right now, everything the FCC says on the topic is rhetoric because they have no power to compel ISPs to do anything. This is no time for politics and rhetoric, but a time for action.