Pandemic Internet aid is ending, but digital divide remains

As the pandemic drags on, some longer-term efforts are being made to help people in need maintain access to the Web. — AFP

In March, Rakia Akter was confronted with a serious parenting problem. As the coronavirus pandemic grew worse, schools in Buffalo, New York, where she lives, were shutting down in-person classes and shifting entirely to online, distance learning.

With her husband earning US$30,000 (RM128,055) a year working for FedEx while she stayed at home raising their children, money was tight. They couldn’t afford to pay for home Internet. How, she wondered, would their nine-year-old and seven-year-old daughters be able to keep up with their classmates?