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FCC Review Could End School Internet Program. Advocates Plan ‘Very Loud’ Protest
Advocates say the 30-year-old discount program saves schools and libraries more than $2.5 billion each year.
- The Federal Communications Commission has launched a top-to-bottom evaluation of the 30-year-old E-Rate program, with FCC Chairman Brendan Carr stating in early June that the review aims to ensure it 'produces the great educational outcomes stakeholders have intended.'
- More than 96,000 school districts nationwide apply annually for E-Rate discounts on broadband and Wi-Fi equipment, with the program saving schools and libraries over $2.5 billion yearly and high-poverty districts saving up to 90% of connectivity costs.
- The FCC review links E-Rate to screen time concerns as Emily Cherkin, a Seattle-based consultant, testified before the Senate in January that children's internet access caused 'catastrophic impacts' on mental health, while Keith Kruger, CEO of the Consortium for School Networking, called the FCC's 70-page questionnaire overwhelming.
- Superintendent LaTonya Goffney of the Aldine Independent School District near Houston warned that losing E-Rate's more than $2 million annual discount would force staff cuts, as advocates from about 22 states gathered in Washington in late July to defend the program.
- The Government Accountability Office praised E-Rate in December as the only program meeting all nine fraud-prevention standards, yet Project 2025 calls for 'right-sizing' federal broadband initiatives, with public comments due October 13 and replies due November 12.
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FCC Review Could End School Internet Program. Advocates Plan ‘Very Loud’ Protest
As superintendent of Desert Sands Unified in California’s Coachella Valley, Kelly May-Vollmer has a hard time naming a system that’s not somehow connected to the district’s broadband network.
·New York, United States
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FCC review could end school internet program. Advocates plan ‘very loud’ protest - The Business Journal California Schools Face Uncertainty Over Future of E-Rate Program
As superintendent of Desert Sands Unified in California’s Coachella Valley, Kelly May-Vollmer has a hard time naming a system that’s not somehow connected to the district’s broadband network. Parents can check a school bus tracking app to make sure their child arrived on time. Cafeteria staff don’t use cash registers; kids’ meal accounts are linked to the cloud. Even grounds crews depend on external wireless access points to maintain the fields …
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Total News Sources16
Leaning Left4Leaning Right2Center8Last UpdatedBias Distribution57% Center
Bias Distribution
- 57% of the sources are Center
57% Center
L 29%
C 57%
14%
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