UPDATE The House on Wednesday approved the nearly $2 trillion COVID relief legislation. The 220-211 party line vote occurred seven weeks after President Joe Biden took office, reported The Associated Press. The Senate made several changes to the bill the previous week, which had to be reconciled. Now, the measure is on its way to Biden for his signature, which was expected to be Friday, according to the White House.
Much was trimmed from the final version; however it includes more than $7 billion in funding for the FCC’s E-Rate program. The money will support emergency broadband connectivity and devices for schools and libraries, and their students, staff, and patrons.
FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks said the relief package’s money “will help ensure that all students can continue learning and growing.” He met with Detroit middle school students recently to discuss their online learning experiences.
“They told me that a large share of their classmates cannot participate, and many have quit virtual learning out of frustration with slow broadband speeds and inadequate devices,” said Starks. “Those students are not alone. An estimated 12 million students remain locked out of the virtual classroom.”
Closing the “Homework Gap” has long been championed by FCC Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. “Millions of students are locked out of the virtual classroom right now,” she said. “They can’t do daily schoolwork. They’re the kids sitting outside of the fast food restaurant just trying to catch a WiFi signal to go to class.”
The bill would create an Emergency Connectivity Fund as part of E-Rate. If enacted into law, the FCC “looks forward to implementing this program so that every student can get the connection they now need for class,” said Rosenworcel.
The COVID Relief legislation also includes investments in the Technology Modernization Fund, established by Congress to put money behind efforts to bring the federal government’s tech tools and IT infrastructure up to date. That has become even more urgent during the pandemic with the increase of remote work amid rising cybersecurity threats.
Reader Interactions