By Ricky Talbot
U.S. Senator Patty Murray and FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel came to Twilight central to discuss the Senator’s Digital Equity Act and the digital divide.
“In the Upper Hoh Valley we feel like Port Townsend in the 1890’s waiting for the rail. The train never made it over the mountains,” math teacher Gary Peterson at Peninsula college said.
Forks is hoping that same thing doesn’t happen to them in regards to broadband and high speed internet.
Students and businesses suffer the lack of connectivity. As technology increases and businesses start relying more on high speed internet to survive, it’s harder for smaller communities on the Peninsula to cross the digital divide.
Forks and other areas on the Olympic Peninsula face this chasm in the way of commerce and education.
The need for internet goes beyond the base desire to be connected to the outside world and updated with friend’s on Facebook.
Vendors want businesses to send invoices and statements by email, and students are required by teachers to take tests from home over the weekend.
Without the internet, businesses and students miss out on opportunities for success. Snailmail, fax machines and smartphones are the main source of communication.
For her senior high school project, Autumn Greiner created an opportunity for students and the community to learn how to use the computer and internet.
The digital gap in her class varied largely making it so that she couldn’t teach the whole class at once.
After teaching her students how to log into the computer, the next step was teaching them how to access email. The young students wanted email so they could create a Facebook account and the older generation wanted to be able to keep in contact with their grandkids.
By coming to Forks, Senator Murray and Commissioner Rosenworcel were able to get first hand knowledge of these needs, so they can support the Digital Equity Act before members of Congress.
The Act of 2019 “Is an incentive to the communities to start looking at problems that are really challenging and say ‘what do we need to do to bring that here?’” Senator Murray said.
If passed, the legislation would create two grants which would be administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to promote digital equity nationwide.