Typically, company CEOs also serve as Chairman of the Board. But that's not the case at AT&T. Bill Kennard is the newly installed Chair at AT&T and today, he's our guest on Leadership Next.

The pandemic has made clear the importance of universal broadband access - and just how far the U.S. is from that goal. Kids struggling to connect to remote school "hits us in our gut" Kennard tells Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt. He lays out the history of this problem, and explains what needs to be done to fix it.

Also in today's conversation: the innovations likely to come from 5G, and the race to establish standards for the technology; diversity in corporate America; and a favorite Leadership Next topic - the role of corporations in society.