FCC Chief Plans Action on Wi-Fi in Schools

Though the Federal Communications Commission spends $2.4 billion a year to provide schools and libraries with high-speed Internet connections, none of that has gone in recent years to pay for Wi-Fi connections -- something that is often available free in coffee shops, hotels and parks. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler is said to want to change that.

According to FCC officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity, Chairman Wheeler is planning to offer his fellow commissioners a proposed regulatory change to promote Wi-Fi in schools. Wheeler’s aim is to get the issue on the agenda for the FCC’s July 11 meeting. FCC Commissioners from both parties have expressed support for reforming E-Rate. Ajit Pai, the senior Republican commissioner, said last month that the FCC should consider reforms that are as broad as possible.