US Court Ruling Raises K-12 Concerns About Internet Access

What does the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia "net neutrality" ruling mean for schools? Some school organizations predict that if the ruling holds up -- it could be appealed or superseded by other actions -- Internet providers will be tempted to channel content in ways that benefit them financially.

For schools, "at the end of the day, you're likely to be collateral damage," said Harold Feld, the senior vice president for Public Knowledge. The interests of schools amount to "a rounding error," he said, "compared with the billions of dollars [telecommunications companies] have at stake." The court's ruling alarmed some in the education community, particularly school librarians, who in many districts are charged with finding and organizing online content and helping students and teachers become more sophisticated users of it. Barbara Stripling, the president of the 57,000-member American Library Association, said she fears the decision will lead Internet providers to give priority to monied content providers, such as commercial interests or the entertainment industry. Other organizations, particularly noncommercial ones that seek to provide objective content, could be relegated to the slow lane, making it more difficult for teachers and students to get information they want, argued Stripling, whose organization's membership includes K-12 librarians, as well as those from other fields.