Tackling discrimination in internet access.

From Marketplace, I'm Sabrie Benashore in for David Brancaccio.

First, the Senate has passed a temporary government funding package, which President Biden is expected to sign

averting a shutdown for now. It gives Congress roughly two more months to figure out a

longer-term funding solution. In some parts of the country, broadband internet is either unavailable, extremely slow, or too expensive.

Now the Federal Communications Commission is promising to hold internet providers accountable if they're found to have

discriminated against communities based on characteristics such as

race and income.

Marketplace is Nova Safo has more.

The Federal Communications Commission has been traveling

the country to hear stories about lack of broadband internet access and how it's

affected people in all walks of life. Their last meeting was in Topeka, Kansas

where Felicia Welch, with the State's Department

for Children and Families, outlined struggles of clients ranging from senior citizens to school

children.

The digital inequality affects Kansans of all ages, all races, rural and urban.

Parents who are working, if they do not have access to internet, they have to take time off work to enroll their children in school.

School enrollment is done online.

The FCC will now have a framework to decide if digital inequality is based on federally protected characteristics.

That's a new tool for the agency which it plans to use to crack down on internet providers

which offer limited to no high-speed internet or charge too much in rural areas and communities

historically disadvantaged by practices such as redlining. The National

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