LEAD Commission Wants Pai E-Rate Commitment

The LEAD Commission wants senators to put a spotlight on E-rate when it puts the spotlight on Federal Communications Commission nominees in a hearing July 19. It wants the members of the Senate Communications Subcommittee to get FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to commit to supporting the E-rate program, which subsidizes high-speed broadband to schools and libraries. The commission was created back in 2012 in response to a challenge from then FCC chairman Julius Genachowski and Department of Education secretary Arne Duncan to help technology "transform" education. “In a technology-driven, and globally competitive economy, connecting our schools and libraries with access to high-speed internet and WiFi is essential to learning and student success,” said LEAD commissioner Jim Coulter. “E-rate has been a critical part of expanding access to basic internet connectivity for students, and we strongly believe that E-rate funding should continue."