What Does 21st Century Connectivity Look Like… and Are We There Yet?

[Commentary] “In a country where we expect free Wi-Fi with our coffee, we should definitely demand it in our schools.” That’s a nice sentiment, Mr. President, but it’s going to take a lot to get there.

The Federal Communications Commission’s E-rate Program serves a key policy lever to build out high-speed connectivity to schools and libraries, but to achieve that goal the program is in desperate need of reform. New America’s Education Policy Program and Open Technology Institute released a brief, Connected Communities in an Age of Digital Learning, which highlights our recommendations for program reform, also including a timeline for E-rate reform efforts. Experts across the fields of education, library sciences, and technology weighed in on how far we still have to go, and why we’re driving there in the first place.