rich 1.0 Action Network https://actionnetwork.org <link href='https://actionnetwork.org/css/style-embed-v3.css' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css' /><script src='https://actionnetwork.org/widgets/v6/petition/create-a-broadband-authority-for-arlington?format=js&source=widget'></script><div id='can-petition-area-create-a-broadband-authority-for-arlington' style='width: 100%'><!-- this div is the target for our HTML insertion --></div> Arlington for a Broadband Authority https://actionnetwork.org/groups/arlingtonians-for-a-broadband-authority https://actionnetwork.org//images/generic_facebook.jpg The COVID-19 pandemic has made it clear that the digital divide in the United States is a national emergency. The mass transition to online work and communication has left countless families and individuals behind. The Washington Post recently reported on the struggles of low-income families here in Arlington who are reeling from the lack of access to the internet at home. It is having an especially serious impact on school children from poor families - a problem that will persist as the schools go virtual in the fall. The digital divide is the inevitable result of relying on highly monopolized markets to provide internet service. It is not profitable for large telecommunications corporations to ensure that everyone has access to quality internet service that they can afford. Moreover, these large corporations work to pass laws that restrict local governments from pursuing a public option (while also lobbying Congress to remove privacy protections and eliminate net neutrality). While we must work to change the laws so as to expand community broadband here in VA and throughout the U.S., we have a path open to us here in Arlington to create a public option. Under the Virginia Wireless Service Authority Act, Arlington County can form a "broadband authority" that would be legally able to provide fiber-to-the-premises connections to all homes and businesses in the County. To learn more, visit https://arlfiber.org/arlington-broadband-authority/ https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/create-a-broadband-authority-for-arlington