Remarks of Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel at National League of Cities Congressional City Conference

[Speech} You are a force for optimism—and I want to harness your energies this morning to help solve what I call the Homework Gap. After I talk about that, I’ll follow up with a few thoughts about other matters of interest before the Federal Communications Commission. Shool-aged kids without
broadband access at home are not only unable to complete their homework, they enter the job market with a serious handicap. I have some ideas—and that’s where you come in. 

First, let’s do something simple. Let’s gather local data and raise awareness. After all, we will never manage problems we do not measure. The good news is that some cities, school districts, and non-profits are already getting this work underway. Second, we need to take note of the innovative things that are happening across the country to help address this problem—and then no shame, copy them. Finally, there are a wide range of cities and towns doing something distinctly low-tech to increase high-tech access. They’re making maps.