The COVID-19 era has shown that much of our daily lives — from jobs to the school day — can be and is likely to increasingly be conducted online.

While parents and educators prefer in-person instruction for students, an extraordinary situation like the pandemic has forced everyone involved to think outside the box and conduct school online for months this year.

And many companies, after having their workers conduct business from home for months, are now seeing some financial benefits of not having a fully staffed physical office.

While our normal way of life is likely to resume when the pandemic ends, some of these changes could be more prevalent in the future.

So, it’s important that everyone — from workers to school children and teachers — has the tools necessary for situations like the one we’ve experienced this year.

Last weekend, the Eagle ran a story on how state officials are continuing to emphasize the importance of internet access and high-speed broadband for all corners of the state, especially as COVID-19 continues to put a strain on rural parts of the county and various school districts.

We agree with Moniteau School District Superintendent Thomas Samosky’s assertion that better internet access for rural areas of the county is an “equity issue” and state Rep. Martin Causer’s statement that broadband internet access is a “necessity, not a luxury.”

If an area lacks high-speed broadband, its students will not have the same opportunities as students in areas that do and, as a result, they could be less competitive in our computer-centric society.

Some good moves are being made on the matter. Last week, Gov. Tom Wolf signed a law creating the Unserved High-Speed Broadband Funding Program, which includes $5 million and provides grants in support of internet expansion in areas that need it.

And earlier this month, Wolf signed a bill introduced by state Sen. Joe Pittman that allows electric cooperatives to use existing utility poles for broadband fiber lines as long as they don’t negatively affect the property’s use or value.

These bills are a good start. But we echo Pittman’s call for expediting the process.

The pandemic has shown how much households rely on internet access — and in cases where two parents are working from home and their children are using the internet for school, bandwidth becomes strained and internet speed is slowed down for all involved.

We hope state leaders continue to prioritize this important issue.

— NCD