BHCC President Pam Eddinger Urges Congress to Fund Universal Wi-Fi
Thursday, May 7, 2020
Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) President Pam Eddinger appeared on WGBH-TV’s (Channel 2, Boston) public affairs program “Basic Black” Friday evening as part of a special segment on the effects of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on community college students. President Eddinger described how she’s seen first-hand the impact of the digital divide on communities of color as the College shifted to remote learning this semester.
“Our students had mostly relied on the College itself as their infrastructure; they came in to use our [computer] labs. They used our Wi-Fi. When we switched everything online, we realized it’s not just flipping a switch,” said President Eddinger on “Basic Black.” “We had to get together close to 800 Chrome books and get those delivered. Students didn’t have Wi-Fi at home in order to tune in.”
President Eddinger is urging Congress to fund universal access to the internet as part of its next coronavirus relief bill.