Every Child Connected Act

Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), both members of the Senate Commerce Committee, introduced the Every Child Connected Act—legislation that aims to reduce the digital divide between students with and without internet access, known as the Homework Gap. Specifically, the legislation accomplishes this goal by targeting available funding sources from Federal Trade Commission data privacy violations to provide vital connectivity to American students at home. The Every Child Connected Act would: 

• Requires the Federal Communications Commission to redefine the term classroom to include distance learning occurring at the home.

• Redirects funding captured by Section 5 of the FTC act and consent orders from privacy violations at the FTC to the FCC E-Rate program.

• Requires coordination among state and local municipalities and the Department of Education to assure E-Rate is utilized for distance learning taking place at the home.