Cold weather months are upon us, reinforcing the need to shelter in place when possible as we continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. Business and education continues to rely heavily on internet access to coordinate virtual learning, conduct business meetings, engage teams and generally remain connected, yet 666,000 people in Indiana live without access to high-speed internet.

The happenings of this year make it abundantly clear that access to high-speed internet should not be considered a luxury or an advantage. It is a necessity. Much like utilities, high-speed internet has become essential to meeting basic needs and quality of life. In particular, reliable, affordable connection is critical to workforce development. Without it, we risk limiting opportunities for higher education, job research and application, and more. It should be widely understood that online resources are required to re-tool and upskill and urgent action is needed to shrink this digital divide.

According to Strada’s COVID-19 Work and Education Survey, 65% of Americans responded that they are worried they will lose their jobs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, 38% of Generation X respondents and 37% of Millennials said that if they were to lose their jobs, they would need more education to replace their current wage or salary. Choosing to return to college as an adult is difficult under normal circumstances, and the uncertainty of this pandemic adds more layers of difficulty that are exacerbated if you do not have easy access to online options to further your education. In fact, an estimated 750,000 Hoosiers have some college but no degree. How many of them would finish their education if only they had access to high-speed internet?

Higher education institutions are limited in their ability to expand access to education to those who would benefit most if equitable internet access isn’t addressed. Lack of access to broadband services is a barrier to those seeking to fulfill their potential and could have a lasting impact on Indiana’s future workforce. To undertake these personal, education, economic, and workforce development needs, there needs to be a baseline level of accessibility.

This year marks 10 years since WGU Indiana began pioneering online learning and increasing access to higher education across the Hoosier state as an exclusively online university. In response to inequities in connectivity, WGU Indiana is granting high-speed internet access and providing devices to qualifying students through its new Online Access Scholarship program. We are also supporting legislators across the country to advance bills, like Gov. Holcomb’s Next Level Connections program, which granted a portion of its funding to Rural Electric Membership Corporation, serving Bartholomew County, to support broadband expansion infrastructure projects.

Through the lens of the current pandemic, we can see that our education institutions have to be prepared for the unexpected, to adjust and be mobile, without sacrificing quality. While the spread of the novel coronavirus has been felt by all and made its mark on the health of our economy, it has not limited our resolve at WGU Indiana to increase access to education to underserved populations. Rather, it has strengthened it.

I am urging communities across the state of Indiana to be more vocal about the need for equal access to broadband internet and communicate with our representatives and leaders who are taking action to find solutions to shrink the digital divide across Indiana.

Alison Bell is the Chancellor of WGU Indiana, a nonprofit, online university offering 60+ degrees in the four colleges of business, teaching, IT and health/nursing. Send comments to [email protected].

Alison Bell is the chancellor of WGU Indiana, a nonprofit, online university offering 60+ degrees in the four colleges of business, teaching, IT and health/nursing. Send comments to awoods@ aimmediaindiana.com.