FCC Acting Chair Jessica Rosenworcel is pushing colleagues to close the homework gap. Specifically, she’s hearing from Senate Democrats who are calling on the agency to allow educational (E-Rate) broadband subsidy money to be used for home broadband and equipment.
In a Twitter chat Monday with Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-CT), Rosenworcel stated: “From getting online to registering for vaccines to keeping up with telework or keeping in touch with loved ones remotely, internet access is vital right now. But we know too many of us are left offline. We need a 100 percent policy to get everyone connected.”
Rosenworcel has sought public input on changing the FCC’s interpretation of the E-Rate broadband subsidy for schools and libraries. Prior FCC Chair Ajit Pai interpreted the law as meaning the money could only be used for broadband in schools; Rosenworcel disagreed and said the funds should have already been tapped during the pandemic.
Senate Commerce Committee chair Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Ed Markey (D-MA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Brian Schatz (D-HI) and 31 others last week called on the FCC to use emergency authority to connect students online. They cited an executive order by President Joe Biden calling on the agency to “to increase connectivity options for students lacking reliable home broadband.”
A career educator, Hayes called the homework gap “something that I have seen firsthand – students struggling through lack of internet access in Waterbury, Connecticut. So much of school today requires the internet. We risk widening the achievement gap if we do not fix this soon. We need to make sure the internet is affordable and accessible for everyone.”
Rosenworcel urged the public to weigh in on requests to use the [E-Rate] funds to provide emergency support to students who lack connectivity at home. The Twitter chat occurred yesterday, the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Telecom Act into law.
Noting the anniversary. Rosenworcel tweeted: “The architects of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 have shown us the path forward. Let us honor their legacy by embracing the hard challenges and working together to fulfill the promise of the digital future for all Americans.”
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