Children's Agenda for Digital Opportunity

Federal Communications Commission Julius Genachowski outlined National Broadband Plan recommendations to benefit children and their families. Initiatives were announced that foster the FCC's Children's Agenda for Digital Opportunity to help children and empower parents.

The plan will propose a number of recommendations to:

• Ensure all children have access to broadband
• Allow children to develop digital literacy skills and benefit from digital learning
• Promote digital citizenship
• Improve online safety
• Specific proposals include modernizing the $9 billion Universal Service Fund so that it can be used to support broadband; updating the E-rate program to make it easier for children to get online at schools and libraries; and establishing a National Digital Literacy Program that will mobilize thousands of volunteers to teach digital skills to non-adopters and offer online courses on digital literacy.

Chairman Genachowski also announced the FCC will hold a series of workshops and roundtables to further the FCC's children's agenda. The events will bring together leaders from industry, government, academia, and nonprofits to address a variety of issues, including digital access, digital and media literacy, digital citizenship, digital safety, educational programming, advertising, and childhood obesity, among others.