Remarks Of Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel Sxswedu Conference & Festival

At the SXSWedu Conference & Festival, Federal Communications Commission member Jessica Rosenworcel set out her perspectives on modernizing the E-Rate program.

“At the FCC we recently started a reform effort to modernize our E-Rate system -- what I like to call E-Rate 2.0. Just like with the evolution of any operating system, we need to take the good that we have put in place, build on it, and upgrade it for the future.”

The Three S’s of E-Rate reform: Speed, Simplify, and Spending Smart.

• Speed. In the near term, we want to have 100 Megabits per 1000 students to all of our schools. By the end of the decade, we want to have 1 Gigabit per 1000 students to all of our schools.
• Simplify. We need to reduce the bureaucracy associated with E-Rate.
• Spending Smart. “Spending smart means better accounting practices that the FCC has already identified will free up for more E-Rate broadband support over the next two years. But spending smart goes beyond that. Because on a long-term basis we need to make sure that all E-Rate support is focused on high-speed broadband.”

[March 7]