Stories

While the COVID pandemic disrupted every facet of our lives, few areas were as affected as education. After the onset of the pandemic, over a hundred thousand schools across the United States were forced to close their doors long term, leaving some 55 million teachers and students scrambling to keep vital lines of communication open. This unprecedented situation threatened to wreak havoc on our education system and cause harm to students who didn’t have an internet connection at home.

Around here we talk a lot about broadband. From its promising uses for distance learning and home offices to gaming and streaming a diverse range of entertainment, broadband has become entwined in all our lives.

The COVID pandemic has been a once-in-a-century health crisis, upending lives and livelihoods worldwide. With the need for safe access to healthcare during the crisis came a renewed focus on an emerging phenomenon: telehealth, or the use of the internet to provide quality care at a distance. According to a new study, the use of telehealth to treat Medicare patients rose some 10,000% in the first six weeks of the pandemic. This exponential rise underscored a fundamental truth: the life-or-death importance of having a reliable broadband connection. Telehealth, then, is the crossroads between innovation and infrastructure. Let’s explore the latest telehealth trends, and how its advanced technology is being supported by a powerful broadband network.

Throughout the pandemic, popular platforms such as Zoom, Skype, and Google Hangouts have not only kept us learning, playing, and communicating – they have quite literally kept the world economy afloat. All of this has been made possible by a robust broadband infrastructure that kept the communication going even in the face of increased internet use of up to 40% in general and an amazing 300% on videoconferencing applications. This phenomenon underscores a fundamental point: in today’s society, a broadband connection is no longer an option; it’s an essential. So how exactly has videoconferencing changed our society over the course of the pandemic? And what does a future of superfast internet mean for the further development of these platforms? Let’s take a look.

For many of us, the word “robotics” calls forth an image of laser-eyed humanoids from a sci-fi movie. But reality is not quite so dramatic. In fact, the science of robotics, combined with the power of our broadband infrastructure, has already transformed many of our homes and workplaces into centers of “smart” activity, both inside and out. In today’s post, we’ll look at how advances in robotics are already revolutionizing our lives—and what’s to come in our 10G future.

The COVID-19 crisis, with its quarantines, lockdowns, and sheltering in place, has led to a dramatic redefinition of the word “home.” For many of us, what was once a sacred base to relax from work, study, and travel has become, thanks to the pandemic, a full-time living, office, and leisure center rolled into one. The revisioning of our living space prompted by the pandemic has dovetailed with a series of internet-powered innovations that, together, create what is known as the smart home.

Labor Day is fast approaching: a time to reflect on the contributions made by generations of workers throughout our nation’s history. This year, we want to shine a light on the employees who kept the nation’s broadband infrastructure up and running throughout the COVID crisis. 

Variations in weather often threaten our physical infrastructure and create spikes in use that stress our wireless networks. But broadband providers try their hardest to hurricane-proof the network by leveraging business continuity plans and disaster recovery teams. Working around the clock, these teams monitor and assess threats, establish emergency notification systems, train response personnel, and set up online tools to keep people connected.