Save the Children and Save the Children Action Network (SCAN) Statement on American Jobs Plan Proposal to Provide Broadband Coverage to Rural America

Washington, D.C. (April 1, 2021) – Following the announcement that the American Jobs Plan would provide 100 percent broadband coverage to rural America, Betsy Zorio, Save the Children Vice President of U.S. Programs, issued the following statement on behalf of Save the Children and its political advocacy arm, Save the Children Action Network (SCAN):

“The digital divide puts children’s learning and development at risk across rural America, as close to half of rural families report difficulty connecting to high-speed internet. I sincerely applaud President Biden for incorporating the needs of rural American families in the American Jobs Plan and prioritizing rural infrastructure. These investments will help ensure children in our nation’s most remote and oftentimes impoverished communities have the same educational opportunities as their peers throughout the country.”

SCAN will begin to mobilize its more than 375,000 grassroots advocates in support of the child-friendly provisions in the American Jobs Plan, such as the provision of 100 percent broadband coverage in rural America.