High-Speed Internet - Children in South Dakota

South Dakota

High-speed or broadband internet provides access to educational tools, distance learning and pediatric health care services. For over ten years, the United Nations has recognized access to the internet as a human right because of its role in social and economic development. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and other researchers have identified broadband access as a social determinant of health, necessary for accessing telemedicine and telehealth services. Broadband access can also enhance social connectedness by alleviating social isolation, strengthening community support and reducing feelings of loneliness. 

Lack of access to high-speed internet creates differences in educational and economic opportunities in addition to social interaction. Infrastructure gaps and costs remain primary barriers to accessing high-speed internet.

Broadband internet access is higher among:

• Children with a caregiver who graduated from college compared with children whose caregivers have less than a high school education.
• Children living in higher-income households compared with those in lower-income households.
• Children living in urban or metropolitan areas compared with those in rural areas or on tribal lands.
• Asian children compared with American Indian/Alaska Native children.

State strategies to make broadband internet more affordable and accessible include:

• Providing financial support and incentives for organizations and companies working to expand access to high-speed internet services.
• Implementing policies that require or encourage installing internet infrastructure during construction on other public infrastructure projects such as roads, sidewalks or telephone poles.
• Establishing a state broadband office dedicated to implementing and managing these programs and funding initiatives.

There are a number of FCC grant programs dedicated to supporting projects that increase high-speed internet access, such as the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program, which represents the largest federal investment in high-speed internet infrastructure. BEAD and other grantee initiatives aim to enhance public health by improving access to telehealth services, emergency response communications and digital health resources, particularly for rural communities and low-income households with limited health care access. The FCC also helps schools and libraries access affordable broadband through the E-Rate program.

Healthy People 2030 has an objective to increase the proportion of adults with broadband internet access.

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