Why America needs a “Tech New Deal” to build back better

Photo: Cox Communications helps customers with internet needs. David Wallace / The Arizona Republic. Article by Nicol Turner Lee. Brookings – January 12, 2021.

President-elect Joe Biden has vowed an agenda to build back better. And he can do this provided high-speed broadband access is part of his broader economic recovery plan. President-elect Biden will face an overwhelming list of priorities in his first 100 days, including a national vaccination strategy, school re-openings, policing reform, and possibly a second impeachment trial precipitated by the historic insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. More than 100,000 small businesses have permanently closed during the pandemic, and the nation’s unemployment rate remains unchanged at 6.7% in December 2020 with 10.7 million people unemployed. The pandemic has starkly affected many U.S. industries with the hospitality, retail, and leisure sectors disproportionately impacted. High unemployment has led to increased food insecurities among adults-only households and those with children are less likely to get enough to eat during the pandemic. Eighteen percent of adult households without children reported that they didn’t have enough food, as compared to 11% of those with children. […]

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