Accurate data is a must if Nebraska is going to improve broadband access in rural areas. Due to recent federal legislation, accuracy is also the key to ensuring states receive their full share of federal grant funding. Soon the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will determine the amount of money each state is allocated through the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program.

A study released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates between 2018 and 2020, close to 120,000 households in Nebraska faced food insecurity, which the agency defines as a lack of consistent access to enough food for every person in a household to live an active and healthy life.

The number of Americans using telehealth services surged during the COVID-19 pandemic.National Medicare telehealth visits, for example, increased from 840,000 in 2019 to almost 53 million in 2020, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Unfortunately, Nebraska experienced a lower level of growth.