2 ways to support E-rate modernization

Source: 
Author: 
Coverage Type: 

[Commentary] The current E-rate policy environment is an unprecedented confluence of events: a Federal Communications Commission Chairman committed to modernizing the program, an FCC commissioner deeply passionate about E-rate, the momentum of President Barack Obama’s ConnectED proposal, the announcement of $2 billion in found funding for the E-rate program, and the ever-increasing demand for connectivity in the nation’s schools and libraries.

The E-rate’s long-term success relies on its ability to be updated to reflect the ever-changing world of connectivity and educational technology, while remaining committed to its focus on equity and program sustainability. Though most schools and libraries are now connected to the Internet, the quality and speed of that connection does not always meet the demand.

We still have school districts that do not have the technological capacity to keep up with online formative assessments and the tracking of massive amounts of data through state longitudinal data systems.

American Association of School Administrators (AASA) strongly supports a two-pronged approach to modernizing the E-rate -- one with both programmatic changes and a permanent increase in the program’s funding cap. An infusion of funding without programmatic restructuring is a poor investment, and programmatic restructuring without permanent, adequate funding sets the program on a path towards instability and failure.

[Domenech is AASA Executive Director]


2 ways to support E-rate modernization