The digital clock in the corner of your laptop changes to eight a.m as you click on the link to
join a zoom meeting when suddenly a message pops up on your screen, ‘Internet Connection
Unstable’. The anxiety builds up as the teacher’s voice goes in and out, all your classmates suddenly
freeze, and finally the zoom meeting disappears.

Every student who has experienced this now realizes that they have been kicked out of their
zoom class. Precious instructional minutes slipping away from their fingertips.

COVID-19 (Coronavirus) has forced students and teachers alike to quarantine and transfer
studies to an online setting. With this technological based setup, many problems were bound to arise,
however the main issue was concerning internet connection as that is the only way of communication
in this day in age.

Senior Joselen Chavez states, “WIFI is the only way I can stay in contact with my loved ones,
because of the situation that the world is currently in. Not only do I need the internet for my
schooling but also my daily life.”

Many internet providers, such as (but not limited to) Spectrum, AT&T, T-Mobile and
Verizon, are experiencing an ungodly load of WIFI users. Students and employees, who are now
working from home, have hopped onto their laptop at the exact same time.

These internet providers have even donated WIFI to students, and individuals working from
home. Public WIFI hotspots are more common and could easily be found by a quick google search.
Companies are also more lenient with the due times for bills, since they understand many are going
through a difficult time.

Unfortunately, nobody was prepared for a worldwide pandemic to hit and these internet
providers are having trouble keeping up with the number of individuals using their services for such
an extended duration of time.

These companies are trying to take action on how to properly accommodate their customers
now, as they do not want to lose business. They want to create a secure reliable system while also
providing speed, but their efforts are not fully meeting the demands of consumers.

Education is crucial, especially in high school, as it sets up students for the rest of their life,
ergo students are suffering the most currently. High schoolers already have other issues they need to
navigate, such as passing their classes and finding the next step in their life.
The added pressure of not getting a proper education because of troublesome internet
connection is absolutely devastating.

Chavez states, “You want to take notes on zoom because the teacher usually moves on fast
and sometimes, they don’t provide the PowerPoint in Canvas, so you have to be in class to get them.”
It takes a toll on students’ mental health, as constantly worrying about troublesome WIFI
connections disconnecting at any moment during a test, quiz, or even an instructional lesson plagues
their mind instead of the actual classwork.

“If my WIFI connection ever goes out, the teacher might mistake me for being absent and
that could affect my grades. I would have to call the office and it takes too much work when it was
just my WIFI acting up,” said Chavez