ConnectED and E-rate Reform: The Conversation Begins

[Commentary] Back in July, the Federal Communications Commission sought public input on a review of the commission’s E-rate program which reduces the costs of telecommunications services for schools and libraries around the country. September 16 was the deadline for the first wave of public comments. Now stakeholders in this proceeding will review the public input and offer additional comments to help guide the FCC’s review. By October 16, the second wave of public comments must reach the FCC and then the agency will begin reviewing that input. The Benton Foundation published a short synopsis of what’s at stake in this debate earlier this summer. We also announced that we had created an online resource, ConnectED and Modernizing the FCC's E-rate Program, to help you track developments in this debate. In order to capture the importance of the E-rate program, we’re aggregating and highlighting new research, analysis, speeches, filings, and press accounts about modernizing telecommunications infrastructure for schools and libraries. We are linking to workshops, hearings and other public forums where the future of the E-rate is being discussed. We're also looking at the enormous benefits of faster Internet in schools and libraries for children and educators, for rural America and bridging the Digital Divide, for anytime anywhere anything learning, for people with disabilities and more. We will be inviting stakeholders in this debate to share their best thoughts, so we can keep the conversation moving forward. At Benton as elsewhere, we have grave concerns about the U. S. educational system.