The internet has changed our lives in countless ways, many for the better and some not so much. But good or bad, it has reached into every corner of modern life.
Want to convert imperial measurements to metric? Look up the track listing for “Dark Side of the Moon?” Find out how to rewire the lights on a utility trailer? It’s all there — more information that one person could ever take in.
We feel crippled now when there’s no Wi-Fi or — gasp — no cell coverage. The internet has in so many cases become our physical, mental and spiritual guide. Still, when it comes to the basic, essential needs of humans, it is inconsequential. I assure you, being able to look up the best method for hard-boiling eggs doesn’t compare to the importance of access to clean, safe drinking water.
I recently read a story about the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program, announced last summer, that quoted President Biden saying universal internet access is “just as important as electricity or water.” The comparison struck me.
You can give me the best internet connection known to man, Wi-Fi boosters in every room and a monitor on every wall, but I’ll still be dead in a few days if I don’t have any water.
While I did have to google “how long can I live without water” before I wrote that sentence, I don’t need to do any research to know water is more important than internet service. It’s a laughable statement.
As I mentioned in this column back in February, the Los Angeles-based nonprofit DigDeep estimates that more than 2 million people in the U.S. live without running water or basic indoor plumbing. An additional 44 million Americans live with water systems that have been in violation of the Safe Water Drinking Act. And 43 million more Americans rely on water from wells that are threatened. DigDeep says the economic impact of this water gap is measured in billions of dollars annually.
Contrast that with these numbers from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration: 24 million U.S. households are offline, and 58% of those express no interest or need to be online.
Imagine expressing no interest or need for safe drinking water.
I’m a proponent of infrastructure investment in general, be it for water systems, roads, the power grid or internet service. These are all things that build a better base for our future. It just seems like priorities aren’t necessarily in order when we’re focused on making sure everyone has high-speed internet when some don’t even have water. And while that may be an oversimplification of the issue, no one is going to get sick or die because they lack broadband service.
The work you do is critical. It’s far more important than many of the other services we depend on daily. I could write this column on a typewriter, but I couldn’t do it without water.
Enjoy this month’s issue.
