Amid all the cutting-edge technology on display at the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C., military officials on Tuesday offered a reminder that many soldiers and their families still lack reliable internet access and other tech basics.

“Many active-duty and including those in our Guard and Reserve component live in areas of the country where bandwidth is still quite expensive,” said Capt. Kimberly Elenberg, director of Joint Force Fitness for the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness.

“So while we have amazing tools to leverage technology to connect with our families, we also still have to remember it is not universally accessible or affordable. And we have to be open to multiple means of staying connected.”

Elenberg’s comments came during a conference media session with Army health and medical readiness officials. The group said that leaders are still processing many of the lessons learned and adjustments made from the last 19 months of pandemic operations, including things like remote work and online medical appointments.

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“COVID has changed the way a lot of us have done our jobs and offered our services,” said Dr. Theresa Jackson Santo, division chief for public health assessment at the Army Public Health Center.

Officials hope to take those changes and integrate them into future personnel services, including education opportunities and increased medical access.

But much of that will depend on individual families’ access to broadband internet.

The issue is one being studied by the Defense Department’s Building Healthy Military Communities initiative, which launched last year. Officials are looking at living conditions both on and off base in seven states — Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Mexico and Oklahoma — to see what challenges exist and where improvements can be made.

Earlier this year, officials from the Federal Communications Commission announced discounts on monthly internet access bills and computer upgrades through the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program, which could benefit thousands of troops and families.

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But that program depends on internet availability in the areas around military bases, which can be spotty in rural regions.

Meanwhile, Army officials continue to also look at unique stressors for military members and families from the pandemic, in the hopes of easing those issues in the future.

While issues like permanent change of station moves and training cancellations were unique to the military community, other broader issues — like school cancellations and family medical care access — were problems throughout the country.

Officials said they hope to compile a thorough list of coronavirus reactions and improvements from service members in coming months.