In January 2020, members of Congress held a hearing to discuss the importance of digital literacy and closing the digital divide, or who has access to broadband internet and who doesn’t. Just weeks later, the coronavirus began sweeping across the country and upending the lives of many Americans. In so doing, it shone an even brighter spotlight on the internet haves and have-nots, a dividing line in America that often is shaped by one’s age, income level, race, and hometown.

As everything from school to work shifted from physical to virtual interactions, those without access to reliable internet or devices at home weren’t able to keep up.

The next phase of the pandemic is proving to be no different. Some of the same internet have-nots who have been at risk of losing access to remote education, telemedicine and social connections throughout the pandemic are now at risk of being left out when it comes to registering for the vaccine. In many states, elderly populations are among the first eligible for the vaccine, but with registration largely taking place online, some are forced to lean on family members and volunteers with high-speed internet and more digital know-how to register.

Vaccine distribution is “yet another casualty of the digital divide,” said Gigi Sohn, a counselor to the former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission under the Obama administration who gave a testimony at the House committee hearing in January 2020. At the time, Sohn, a distinguished fellow at the Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law & Policy, called it “alarming” that home broadband adoption rates haven’t improved in recent years and said it is “critical” to address the reasons why to ensure “all Americans can benefit from the opportunities that broadband provides.”

“It has never been more clear than now how important it is for every American household to have broadband internet access,” said Sohn. “We learned that getting an education during Covid is a casualty. Teleworking from home is casualty. Accessing government services — like [the vaccine] — is a casualty … I’ve called the digital divide a national crisis and you can see why.”

More at CNN.