Universal Access and Its Asymmetries

A framework for understanding the totality of costs and benefits of universal access that will foster honest appraisal and guide the development of good policies. Universal access—the idea that certain technologies and services should be extended to all regardless of geography or ability to pay—evokes ideals of democracy and equality that must be reconciled with the realities on the ground. The COVID-19 pandemic raised awareness of the need for access to high-speed internet service in the United