The majority of eighth-grade students in the United States rely on the internet at home to get their homework done. Roughly six-in-ten students (58%) say they use the internet at their home to do homework every day or almost every day, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of data from the 2018 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Just 6% of students say they never use the internet at home for this purpose. There are differences in these patterns by community type and parents’ education level. Roughly two-thirds of students attending suburban schools (65%) say they use the internet for homework every day or almost every day, compared with 58% who attend schools in cities, 50% of those who attend in rural areas and 44% of those attending schools in towns. Students whose parents graduated from college are more likely to use the internet for homework at home. Some 62% of these students use the internet at home for homework, compared with smaller shares of students whose parents have some post-high school education (53%), have only a high school education (52%) or have no high school education (48%). The “homework gap” – which refers to school-age children lacking the connectivity they need to complete schoolwork at home – is more pronounced for black, Hispanic and lower-income households. Some 15% of U.S. households with school-age children do not have a high-speed internet connection at home, according to a previously published Pew Research Center analysis of 2015 U.S. Census Bureau data. School-age children in lower-income households are especially likely to lack broadband access. Roughly one-third (35%) of households with children ages 6 to 17 and an annual income below $30,000 a year do not have a high-speed internet connection at home, compared with just 6% of such households earning $75,000 or more a year. These broadband gaps are particularly pronounced in black and Hispanic households with school-age children – especially those with low incomes. Some lower-income teens say they lack resources to complete schoolwork at home. In a 2018 Center survey, about one-in-five teens ages 13 to 17 (17%) said they are often or sometimes unable to complete homework assignments because they do not have reliable access to a computer or internet connection. Black teens and those living in lower-income households were more likely to say they cannot complete homework assignments for this reason. For example, one-quarter of black teens said they often or sometimes cannot do homework assignments due to lack of reliable access to a computer or internet connectivity, compared with 13% of white teens and 17% of Hispanic teens. Teens with an annual family income below $30,000 were also more likely to say this than teens with a family income of at least $75,000 a year (24% vs. 9%). In the same survey, around one-in-ten teens (12%) said they often or sometimes use public Wi-Fi to do schoolwork because they lack a home internet connection. Again, black and lower-income teens were more likely to do this. Roughly one-in-five black teens (21%) said they use public Wi-Fi to do schoolwork due to a lack of home internet connection, compared with 11% of white teens and 9% of Hispanic teens. And around a fifth (21%) of teens with an annual family income under $30,000 reported having to use public Wi-Fi to do homework, compared with 11% of teens in families with a household income of $30,000-$74,999 and just 7% of those living in households earning at least $75,000. A quarter of lower-income teens do not have access to a home computer. One-in-four teens in households with an annual income under $30,000 lack access to a computer at home, compared with just 4% of those in households earning over $75,000, according to the 2018 survey. There are also differences by race and ethnicity. Hispanic teens were especially likely to say they do not have access to a home computer: 18% said this, compared with 9% of white teens and 11% of black teens. State Representative La Shawn K. Ford has drafted legislative language to provide broadband services at no cost to all residents of the state, with priority given to areas with high levels of poverty and lacking the infrastructure to receive high-speed internet access. Amends the Broadband Advisory Council Act. Directs the Council to develop a plan to provide access to broadband services at no cost to all residents of this State. Provides that the Office of Broadband within the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity shall support and assist the Council in the development of the plan. Requires that priority be given to zip codes identified as having high levels of poverty and areas lacking the infrastructure necessary to meet requirements for high-speed access to the Internet. Requires the Council to identify existing and new streams of State revenue necessary to implement the plan. Provides that the Council shall report the plan and recommendations for legislation necessary to implement the plan to the General Assembly by March 31, 2021. Effective immediately.

Because most families are getting infected

When I moved here, I was blown away by the love and help my son and I received. We were lucky enough to be able to camp for the 6 months we were homeless and we had so much help from the community. I see the need for a safe place for the homeless to go and want to give back and find a way to help.

Since the dawn of man we have looked up to the sky and been inspired by the countless stars and constellations. We've lived and died under clear starry night skies and now Elon Musk is planning to send 12,000 satellites up into the sky to muddy it up and pollute beyond recognition the last pure thing we as a species have left.

Because just as those who have been out of work are at risk and need help, so are the people who still have to go to work every day...

This is important because a lot of students are struggling with doing school online. Everyone has different learning styles. Marysville is setting us and our GPA’s to fail. We need to make a change.

Because Senator Sanders is still on the New York ballot and no institution should ever get away with spitting in the face of democracy, including the New York Board of Elections.

The Convention of States (COS) -- a shady special interest group funded by right-wing billionaires like the Mercers -- wants us to believe that the “reopen” protests popping up in states are led entirely by everyday Americans. But the truth is: they’re not. Behind the scenes, COS is helping to pull the strings. Its members are targeting people on social media and throwing serious funding behind these protests -- to create an illusion of mass discontent against the social distancing guidelines that keep us safe during the COVID-19 crisis. Polling shows widespread support for following social distancing guidelines. [1] But these secretly-funded protests are meant to muddy the waters -- and make states roll back life-saving measures before experts say it’s safe. Make no mistake: these protests are dangerous. Public gatherings give the disease more opportunity to spread… they can incite distrust of public health officials... and reporters covering the event in Lansing, Michigan even noted that the rally blocked ambulances from accessing a hospital. This isn't the first time that COS has pushed for Big Money interests over the needs of the American people. In fact, the group was founded to urge Republican legislators to call for an Article V constitutional convention -- where unelected, unaccountable delegates could write their far-right agenda directly into our Constitution. This is just another ploy by the Convention of States to sow distrust of public health experts and other government officials... so that when the time comes, overhauling our system and rewriting the Constitution seems like the only option. We can’t let this billionaire-backed, far-right special interest group and its allies endanger our friends, families, and communities. We must spread the word about who’s REALLY behind these protests -- as well as continue to listen to health professionals and follow CDC guidelines. 1) https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/inside-the-conservative-networks-backing-anti-quarantine-protests/2020/04/22/da75c81e-83fe-11ea-a3eb-e9fc93160703_story.html

College students are struggling and our grades are suffering from being forced to take online courses. We did not sign up or pay for an online education. We paid for the experience and in-person instruction.

The current PPP program is of no use to businesses that have already temporarily shut down, which, along with laying off employees, also entailed cancelling or reducing coverage for vehicle and other insurance policies, etc. It makes no sense to keep employees on payroll if there is no way to gain income. However, businesses will need funds to pay employees, renew insurance policies, catch up on rent, purchase materials or goods, and more upon reopening or adding back staff and taking on more work. Loan forgiveness is key. Small businesses typically operate with some level of debt, and business owners will be going into more debt on a personal level just to survive until able to reopen or otherwise get back to operating at full capacity.

For me and many of these businesses, this is our livelihood. We have absolutely NO money coming in but still have to pay our state and federal taxes along with utilities, insurance, etc. Please reconsider this.

The American economy has taking a huge hit with unemployment skyrocketing over March and April 2020 due to the Coronavirus pandemic and the numbers will continue to rise. We are witnessing a domino effect of massive job loss. Businesses close, then the taxpayers have no income to report to the IRS and no taxes to be paid. Of course no income means a steep decline in the agriculture industry, food processing, banking, and mortgage industries just to name a few. Our tax dollars are what makes this economy rise or fall. It is the government's spending of this money which determines what programs are funded or not, and what is considered valuable. Well, now it is time for our government to show its appreciation to loyal American taxpayers by helping us through one of the most financial difficulties in current times. Way too often, large companies such as banks receive MILLIONS OF TAXPAYER MONEY so they will not collapse even though CEO's receive million dollar bonuses and the company makes millions in profits. The government is EAGER to provide them with tax breaks and trillion dollar relief funds at American taxpayer expense. Millions of American taxpayers are working making under $30,000 a year, many more are working 2 jobs, such as teachers, just to somewhat survive. The cost of rent, utilities, food, gas, etc., continues to grow except incomes. A basic income of $2000 a month for American taxpayers age 18 and older and $500 a month for children would give a great start in boosting the economy. Once this financial difficulty has lifted, the economy won't take as long to recover.