The Federal Communications Commission voted on Friday, July 19 to overhaul and likely expand its E-Rate program, a $2.3 billion effort to provide schools and libraries with up-to-date telecommunications service and equipment, including high-speed Internet connections.
President Barack Obama thanked them for their efforts, “The Federal Communications Commission took a first, important step toward realizing our vision of making 21st century classrooms available to every student in America. Preparing our nation’s students with the skills they need to get good jobs and compete with countries around the world will rely increasingly on interactive, individualized learning experiences driven by new technology. To get there, we have to build connected classrooms that support modern teaching – investments we know our international competitors are already making. Our ConnectED initiative – which has widespread support from Republicans, Democrats, educators, business and tech leaders and state and local officials – will ensure that the federal government can provide schools with the infrastructure and tools they need to deliver this competitive digital education for every student in the United States. That is the process that the FCC began today, and we look forward to the next steps in this effort as we move closer to our goal of getting 99 percent of America’s students connected to the Internet through high-speed broadband and high-speed wireless within 5 years.”
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan added, “I want to thank the FCC Commissioners for accepting the President’s challenge to bring America’s classrooms into the modern age with high-speed Internet. Their vote today marks a first step in a five-year effort that will have enormous benefits for students, teachers and families, and for our national competitiveness.
“Today, the bandwidth of the typical American school is far too low to support today’s learning technologies and demands. Thanks to the ConnectED effort, teachers will have new tools to tailor learning to students’ individual needs. Schools will begin to move beyond fill-in-the-bubble tests. Students—especially those in rural and geographically-isolated communities—will have access to a previously-unattainable world of resources, experts, and experiences. And families will be more closely connected with their children’s schools and schoolwork.
“The U.S. once led the world in connecting our schools to the Internet, but our strongest international competitors are surging ahead of us because they know that giving students and teachers the right tools is vital to their economic strength. It will take a lot of work by everyone to restore U.S. leadership and make good on the ConnectED promise: to bring the fastest Internet to nearly every student in America, and to put affordable devices in our students’ hands. The FCC’s action today starts us down that path. For that, the Commissioners deserve everyone’s thanks.”
The proposal requests funds are appropriated in areas promoting digital literacy, like Wi-Fi connections within a school or library.
“One of the biggest obstacles to seizing the opportunities of digital learning in America is inadequate bandwidth at our schools and libraries,” Mignon L. Clyburn, the F.C.C. chairwoman, said before voting. “Simply put, they need faster high-capacity connections and they need them now.”
