These past weeks have been a traumatic and frightening time for those who have had to endure the destruction left behind byHelene and Milton. Many of those living in the areas affected by these storms saw their entire lives upended in a matter of minutes.Technological innovation has proven to be one of the most effective tools at the disposal of those affected.
It is easy to take technologies that offer services that have become routine for granted. But in these emergency situations, these technologies prove to be life-savers for those in the danger zones. For example, during hurricane season, consumers can access their phones’ app stores and find multiple weather-tracking apps that give them real-time updates on the strength and trajectory of a hurricane or storm.
Unfortunately, a lot of these innovations are either rolling out slowly or are being actively attacked by policymakers. As some have noted, the Biden administration’s approach to getting America connected has left low Earth orbit satellite services lagging behind, slowing down their deployment. Variousthat would severely impair or ban targeted advertising, which could reduce the number of free ad-supported services on which some of these users rely.