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Digital Divide: Some N.H. Schools Are Not Up To Speed for Online Learning

A new report shows New Hampshire has made big strides in connecting public schools to broadband Internet. But there are some districts in the state who lack access.

The report shows nearly 90 percent of schools in New Hampshire have Internet connections that meet a minimum standard for speed required for online learning. That’s up from around 70 percent just a few years ago.

The data comes from the non-profit Education Super Highway, which works with states around the country to expand broadband to schools.

Dan Runcie is with Education Super Highway. He says the goal is to have all schools online with fiber optic cables by the year 2020.

“We’ve been able to make great progress in the past two years, so I’m very confident that three years from now we’ll be looking at much smaller numbers and my goal would be to have all of the schools in the state currently on fiber.”

Runcie says there are 17 school districts left in New Hampshire that don't meet the minimum threshold of Internet speed. 

Jason Moon is a senior reporter and producer on the Document team. He has created longform narrative podcast series on topics ranging from unsolved murders, to presidential elections, to secret lists of police officers.
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