ICYMI: Bipartisan, New Democrat Coalition-Led Group Pushes to Bring Next-Generation Technology to America's Schools
"While some issues before the FCC…spurred deep partisan division on the Hill, at least one issue is uniting Republicans and Democrats."
This week, a bipartisan, New Democrat Coalition-led group of lawmakers sent a letter to the FCC urging the Commission to modernize the E-rate program and help to “connect our nation’s schools and libraries to high-speed broadband over the next five years.” Here’s what key publications in D.C. and beyond had to say about the effort:
POLITICO Morning Education: “A bipartisan group of nearly 50 lawmakers will send a letter to FCC Commissioner Tom Wheeler and the rest of the commission later today that prescribes several fixes to the E-Rate program. “Technology has dramatically changed since the E-rate program was established 18 years ago, and the funding priorities must reflect the changing nature of the Internet, so that our classrooms and students have access to today’s technology,” write members of the New Democrat Coalition and several Republicans. Among their proposals: Focus the program on broadband services. Ensure that schools and libraries are paying for the best services at the lowest price. Increase transparency and accountability for the program. Simplify the application process. Ensure that program rules result in stability. The FCC is expected take up much-anticipated consideration of the program in the coming months and issue new rules in time for the new school year.”
POLITICO Morning Tech: “A group of more than 40 House lawmakers is outlining their thoughts on E-Rate reform for FCC boss Tom Wheeler in a letter this morning that prioritizes technology upgrades and a streamlined purchasing and application system. Those goals, to be sure, aren’t far off of what the agency and the White House have unveiled as their vision for updating the out-of-date school connectivity subsidy. But legislators, led in part by the New Democrat Coalition, are seeking to bring the digital literacy issue back to the forefront. Other recommendations the lawmakers are getting behind include better transparency for the program and more data-sharing among schools, as well as better “funding stability” since schools have previously lacked certainty on cash for broadband connections, the group writes. The FCC has already solicited comments on the issue this year and is trying to put out new rules for E-Rate before the next school year. Full letter here: https://bit.ly/1kYLhjP”
EducationWeek: “The New Democrat Coalition is also working with a slew of stakeholders, including National Cable and Telecommunications Association, the Rural Broadband Association, and the Information Technology Industry Council, to ensure that the forthcoming changes significantly improve the system. The letter to the FCC is the first step in a broader effort by the Coalition to improve Americans' digital literacy skills to help ensure that the U.S. workforce remains competitive. A recent report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development assessed the proficiency of those 16 years of age and older in literacy, numeracy, and problem solving in technology-rich environments, and found that 16- to 24-year-olds in the U.S. rank last among OECD countries surveyed in terms of their ability to solve problems using technology.”
Communications Daily: “A bipartisan group of House lawmakers asked the FCC to revamp the E-rate program. They sent a letter Monday signed by 46, 38 belonging to the New Democrat Coalition. “Focus E-rate on broadband services, Wi-Fi updates, and filling the infrastructure gap, with continued support for connectivity services, to ensure universal access to the most up to date technology” and ensure E-rate participants pay for “the best service at the lowest price” through competitive Internet service offerings and purchaser coordination, the lawmakers urged. They also back increasing E-rate’s transparency, accountability and funding stability, with an application process that’s simplified and streamlined. The New Democrat Coalition helped drive the letter forward, a Democratic aide familiar with the coalition’s effort told us. Coalition Chairman Ron Kind, D-Wis., and member Jared Polis, D-Colo., spearheaded the letter within the coalition, the aide said. He said Reps. Charlie Dent, R-Pa., and Chris Gibson, R-N.Y., were “instrumental” in gathering Republican signatures. Expect the letter to be the first step in a broader New Democrat Coalition digital literacy focus, the aide said, citing strong coalition member interest since a presentation on the relevant data a few months back.”
The Hill: “A bipartisan group of lawmakers laid out recommendations for the Federal Communications Commission to modernize its E-Rate program to fund technology in classrooms. “The funding priorities must reflect the changing nature of the Internet, so that our classrooms and students have access to today’s technology,” a group of 46 lawmakers told the FCC in a letter on Monday.”
BroadbandBreakfast: “A group of more than 40 members of Congress have urged the Federal Communications Commission to modernize the E-Rate program of connectivity for schools and libraries. More specifically, the group is calling for ”100 [Megabits per second] of bandwith or more for every 1,000 students and staff workers today, and 1 Gbps by 2017.”
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