A growing number of politicians of both parties in Washington are coming to agree. The Covid-19 crisis, by laying bare the so-called “digital divide” at school systems and communities across the country, may achieve what years of lobbying by interest groups has failed to deliver: significant new federal funding to narrow the gap.

House Democrats on Thursday released a proposal for investing more than $80 billion to spread broadband, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she wants “a piece” of that funding in the next large coronavirus relief bill.

“All of a sudden the light bulb has gone on, about how essential broadband is to full participation in society,” said Gigi Sohn, a distinguished fellow at the Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law & Policy in Washington.

“The realization that you’ve got to have robust broadband, even if you don’t have a pandemic, has been brought to the fore,” Sohn said in an interview.

More than 200 companies and advocacy groups in a letter to congressional leaders on Wednesday called for broadband funding in upcoming relief legislation. Signers included Common Cause, Consumer Reports, the NAACP, and the Incompas trade group that has members including Netflix Inc. and Facebook Inc.

“Like food, water, and electricity, everyone needs broadband internet service during this unprecedented crisis,” the groups said in the letter. “That is why Congress must include policies that support broadband availability, including increased funding for adoption, network sustainability, and deployment for areas still lacking access, in upcoming stimulus packages.”

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