Washington Reacts to FCC’s E-rate Proposal

After Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler outlined plans to lift E-rate spending for broadband connections for schools and libraries, Washington reacted.

• Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said, “Chairman Wheeler's proposal to boost E-rate funding will put the nation well on the path toward realizing President Obama’s ConnectED Initiative and its vision of ensuring all students have the opportunities that accompany high-speed wireless in their classrooms, learning devices to access the internet and high-quality digital learning resources. We applaud the FCC’s continued efforts to help level the playing field so that all students have access to fast broadband, giving them the best chance to succeed in the global economy.”
• House Commerce Committee Ranking Member Henry Waxman (D-CA) said the E-rate program was "critical" to the nation's competitiveness. "Rural and low-income areas must have access to the world class connections they need to take advantage of today’s digital learning tools. I urge the FCC to take this next step to put E-Rate on strong footing for generations to come.”
• Sen Ed Markey (D-MA), who helped create the E-rate in the 1996 Telecommunications Act, joined Chairman Wheeler in a press call to announce the proposal, but also weighed in separately with his support. “E-Rate has proven essential and exceptional in linking up schools and libraries to the Internet. The E-Rate program democratizes access to the opportunities and technologies that lead to brighter futures for students, regardless of their economic circumstances. Today’s announcement from the FCC begins a new chapter in the incredibly successful E-rate program, which will enable children to gain the tools and skills necessary to compete and thrive in the 21st century global economy. I applaud Chairman Wheeler’s leadership, and I thank my colleague chairman [Jay] Rockefeller [D-WV] for his decades of commitment to making technology available to everyone.”
• FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai said, “Last July, the Commission had the opportunity to enact bipartisan, student-centered E-rate reforms. Instead, it adopted a plan with numbers that didn’t come close to adding up and promised outside groups a massive post-election tax increase. Now, less than two weeks after the election, those chickens are coming home to roost. I strongly oppose this 17.2% tax increase. Instead of imposing a greater burden on families struggling to make ends meet in this lackluster economy, the Commission should pursue fiscally responsible reforms. These reforms would cut the bureaucratic red tape and focus resources on the children and library patrons of poor and rural America, where the need is greatest.”
• ““I am disheartened to hear that the FCC intends to increase the E-rate program by 62 percent, bringing the total USF budget to approximately $10 billion,” said FCC Commissioner O’Rielly. “How will the FCC pay for this spending spree? Initially, the FCC will raise telecommunications bills by at least 16 percent. And, ultimately, I predict the FCC will disastrously impose new fees on broadband service – a move that even some consumer groups have opposed. Sadly, this action comes at a time when many families are still struggling and businesses are trying to regain their footing in the economy. Even worse, this new spending does not appear to be paired with any meaningful reforms to the E-rate program to target funding where it is truly needed. In fact, it could duplicate other universal service spending.”
• Charles Benton, the Chairman of the Benton Foundation, said, “The Benton Foundation welcomes FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler’s proposal to increase investment in high-speed connections to better education. Our children’s future is worth every penny. One of the most important challenges of our generation is to ensure that every child in every classroom — no matter how rural or isolated that classroom — has a chance to succeed and win in the global economy. Poverty, discrimination, isolation and ignorance hold our country back. But investments in education, infrastructure and technology spur economic growth, creating more good jobs and wealth for all of us, and these investments are especially needed in rural areas. It is in our national interest to ensure that every child — no matter who they are, no matter what they look like, no matter where they come from — has the opportunity to succeed.”
• American Library Association (ALA) President Courtney Young said, “ALA has worked extremely hard on this proceeding to move the broadband bar for libraries so that communities across the nation can more fully benefit from the E's of Libraries. That is, as Chairman Wheeler recognizes, libraries provide critical services to our communities across the nation relating to Education, Employment, Entrepreneurship, Engagement and Empowerment. Of course, the extent to which communities benefit from these services depends on the broadband capacity our libraries have. Unfortunately, for all too many libraries, the bandwidth needed is either not available at all or it is prohibitively expensive. But what Chairman Wheeler described today will go a long way towards changing the broadband dynamic.”
• Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) CEO Keith Krueger said Chairman Wheeler deserves “immense credit” for his leadership on the issue, adding, “we support immediate action.” “The proposal is a meaningful, critical commitment and long-term investment in America’s students and educators. By promoting digital equity and strengthening the nation’s education broadband infrastructure, the objectives identified expand the digital capacity in our schools and directly pay dividends for decades.”
• "High-speed Internet connectivity is critical for 21st century schools and libraries, yet the E-Rate is stuck at 1998 funding levels," the Communications Workers of America said. "Chairman Wheeler's proposed $1.5 billion annual increase in funding for schools and libraries -- which will bring total E-Rate funding to $3.9 billion a year -- will cost consumers a mere 16 cents a month on their phone bills. This is a small price to pay to bring our schools and libraries the high-speed Internet connectivity they need."
• “The Federal Communications Commission announcement is good for America’s students and makes for smart public policy. Increasing the funding level of the E-Rate Program will continue to bring broadband to the communities that need it the most—students and educators in urban, rural, and low-density populated areas. More to the point, investing now in the E-Rate Program to help students will pay off in the long run,” said Lily Eskelsen García, the President of the National Education Association.