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CenterFuse Broadband Feasibility Report from a distance (across the country)requires more bandwidth since it's harder to hold a VPN session when the bandwidth varies. The biggest group of online learners(outside of the COVID-19 crisis) are students pursuing a post- secondary education online. There are almost 20 million college and graduate students across the country, most of which have been recently been notified that most or all of the fall semester this year will be done online. Secondary education has already been in the process of migrating online. Eduventures estimated that the percentage of students already tackling an online degree before the pandemic was 29% of those pursuing an associate's degree, 42% for a bachelor's degree, 27% for a master's degree, and 3% of those working towards a doctorate. In the fall of 2020, nearly all secondary students will have some or all of their curriculum online. The Computer Gap One of the things that digital inclusion advocates have learned is that it's not enough to get affordable broadband to a home if they can't afford a computer or other devices to use the broadband. It's also now clear that cellphones are good tools for things like shopping online, but they are inadequate for students trying to do homework. Any plan to close the digital divide has to find solutions for closing the computer gap. A survey by Pew Research Center in 2019 shows a huge disparity between income and technology adoption. Consider the following results of that poll: Less than $30,000 to Over $30,000 $100,000 $100,000 Home Broadband 56% 81% 94% Smartphone 71% 85% 97% Desktop 54% 83% 94% Tablet 36% 55% 70% All the Above 18% 39% 64% Other studies have shown that the percentages of homes that have any these technology tools shrinks significantly for homes making under$25,000 per year. A big problem for low-income homes is that they can't afford both broadband and the cost of buying and maintaining a computer or similar device. Computers are some of the shortest-lived electronics we can buy and typically have to be replaced every 3 or 4 years. The above numbers highlight the problem of getting broadband into low-income homes—a solution is needed for both broadband and for a computer. As will be discussed below, low-income homes also often need computer training. Page 48