Viaero Community Blog

Long before the coronavirus made it necessary to shift from the traditional classroom to remote learning, distance learning was both a concept and a practice in K-12 education. Throughout its early 1900s introduction using instructional films and radio programs to its current set of online tools, remote learning has maintained the goal of delivering instruction into students’ homes. Although K-12 remote learning can facilitate teaching when in-person instruction is not feasible, many have expressed concerns over its effectiveness as a full-time substitute.

School districts in rural communities can face significant challenges in the age of the digital classroom. Education Dive reports that four percent of public schools do not have high-speed or broadband internet connections. The majority of these schools are in rural communities. While four percent does not sound substantial, the problem is compounded by the fact that many of these schools’ students do not have broadband internet access at home.

More consumers are becoming concerned about the security of their data, especially personal information that is exchanged with businesses. The percentage of consumers who believe that they’ve lost the ability to control how their data is collected and used has been in the 80th percentile since 1999, according to Deloitte Insights. That figure spiked as high as 90 percent in 2014.

Have you ever wondered why a universal service fund charge shows up on your wireless bill? Or what types of taxes and fees you pay each month and why? While many subscribers voice complaints about taxes and fees, the universal service fund plays a critical role in providing affordable phone and internet services.

Adoption of high-speed internet service in rural areas can add value to the lives of residents and community-based services. While many recognize access to broadband and other forms of high-speed internet can help improve rural economies and healthcare services, the adoption of high-speed internet can also help increase community involvement. Although residents of rural communities tend to have higher levels of engagement, involvement levels increased even more when residents used the internet, according to an Oklahoma State University study.

On Monday, April 2nd, Governor John Hickenlooper signed a law to expand broadband internet service within rural Colorado. The law is designed to allocate $100 million dollars towards construction of infrastructure, which will increase internet download speed capacities to a minimum of 10 megabits per-second. Broadband service has long been considered a standard for both household and professional internet users, but the availability has been lacking in rural communities such as northeastern Colorado. The expansion of broadband capacity will help bring the same advantages the state’s urban dwellers enjoy to those who live and work in rural Colorado communities.