The federal government wants technology companies’ aid in helping students continue their education, as more are asked to do so from home amid the coronavirus outbreak, putting unprecedented pressure on America’s network. 

Representatives from companies including Amazon, Google, IBM and Cisco met at the White House on Wednesday with officials who asked the firms how they can help manage the crisis. The discussion ranged from how the technology companies could use their data to help track the virus to rooting out misinformation spreading online, according to people familiar with the discussions and a meeting readout. 

Of keen interest to some of the people who either dialed into the call or participated in person was how companies will support schools and companies as the country deals with quarantines, people familiar with the matter told CNBC.

Nearly 43% of the American population do not have broadband or high-speed internet access, according to testimony by Gigi Sohn, a fellow at the Institute for Technology Law & Policy at Georgetown University, before Congress earlier this year. Roughly 18% of schoolchildren in remote rural areas either had no home internet access or dial-up connections only, according to a 2018 Education Department report.  

More at CNBC.