Updated: This story has been updated to reflect the outcome of the July 18 vote.
A federal program that helps schools get access to internet and broadband services could soon is getting an important update.
The Federal Communications Commission on July 18 voted to expand its E-rate program to include funding for Wi-Fi hotspots and wireless internet access services.
Several K-12 education groups, such as AASA, the School Superintendents Association, the Association of School Business Officials International, and the National Rural Education Association have advocated for this expansion.
The change is part of FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel’s broader push to modernize the E-rate program and provide technology services she thinks schools need. Among the other changes, which have already been approved, are the expansion of E-rate funding to pay for school bus Wi-Fi and the creation of a cybersecurity pilot program for K-12 schools.
Some of these changes are running into opposition, however. A lawsuit, filed in December and pending in the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, argues that using E-rate funds for Wi-Fi on school buses exceeds the FCC’s authority to provide internet access in schools and libraries. The FCC has filed a motion to dismiss the case.
In a phone interview with Education Week on July 15, Rosenworcel discussed the proposed E-rate program expansion and its impact on the so-called homework gap.
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
What’s the goal of this proposed E-rate expansion?
E-rate is a program that’s been around since the Telecommunications Act of 1996. In internet terms, that’s a long time ago. And ever since, E-rate has been supporting internet connections so that students and library patrons can get access to broadband. It’s helped expand learning opportunities for all kinds of people, in all kinds of places.
Now, we’ve come to realize that internet and access is really essential for full participation in modern life. During the pandemic, we saw so many people sit in their cars outside of libraries using the free Wi-Fi signal, and so many people who had to sit in school parking lots to take in the wireless signal in order to keep up with their assignments.
It feels to me that we can do better than this in the United States, and we can look at E-rate, which has been such a successful and dynamic program, and update it to match the moment we’re in. That’s why I’ve proposed to my colleagues making sure that E-rate funds Wi-Fi hotspots for libraries and schools so that everyone can take one of those devices out for loan if they need it for learning.
What are some other ways the FCC is helping to bridge the digital divide?
Solving our nation’s digital divide is a complex thing. Lots of efforts are underway. The bipartisan infrastructure law helps support billions of dollars to build infrastructure in areas of the country, often rural, where those facilities are not present.
We also had a program called the Affordable Connectivity Program, which helped low-income households get reduced-cost broadband. That program came to an end in May. During the pandemic, we had a program called the Emergency Connectivity Fund, which helped schools and libraries get connectivity and devices, including hotspots, to keep students and library patrons connected.
We have a lot of experience with figuring out what works and what does not when it comes to expanding broadband access, and one thing that has become consistently clear is that the E-rate program in schools and libraries is part of the equation, and updating the E-Rate program so it reflects the moment we’re in is the right thing to do.
Are there plans to restart the Affordable Connectivity Program?
That’s a question for Congress, because Congress needs to provide the funds for that program to continue. Over the course of its lifetime, we were able to connect 23 million households across the country and help them get online and stay online. That included a lot of households with kids on the free- or reduced-[priced] lunch program at school.
I think it made a meaningful difference, and we’re going to continue to make sure Congress is aware of that, so they revisit funding for it in the future. In the meantime, we’re going to keep on looking at the tools we have, including E-rate, to make sure that we can get connectivity to more people in more places.
Do you have updates on when the cybersecurity pilot program will begin?
We have to get back to you on that, but I’m really glad you brought that up. We know that schools have a lot of cybersecurity concerns. We’ve certainly seen attacks on big city school districts and small school districts alike. We know that those attacks can be really harmful, and they can make education in those settings really difficult.
We also know that solving this cybersecurity issue is not a problem that the FCC or E-rate can do on its own. We’re going to need to partner with local and state authorities, the Department of Education, and folks like the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, because they have skills and expertise in this area that we need to bring to this effort.
I think our pilot program is a way to try to understand what this problem looks like on the ground and see what good we can do to help develop solutions.
