What Higher Ed Can Bring to Closing the Digital Divide Community and technical colleges are particularly well-suited to partnering with governments to bring broadband and digital literacy to underserved urban and rural communities. April 26, 2021 • ShutterstockIn December, Congress did something rare by today’s standards: In bipartisan action, lawmakers approved $900 billion in a second COVID-19 relief package , of which $7 billion was set aside for broadband. Now, President Joe Biden has proposed a more than $2 trillion infrastructure package that earmarks $100 billion for the deployment of broadband to underserved rural and urban communities. Public officials now must turn their attention to how best to bring high-speed Internet service to those trapped on the wrong side of the digital divide. Partnering with higher education can be a major part of the solution.