EdSurge

When Winterset (IA) Community Schools launched its one-to-one device program, staff celebrated the milestone. But then parents and students began to complain that they didn’t have sufficient Wi-Fi at home to access the online assignments students were expected to complete after school hours. They had Chromebooks, but no connection.“And we said, ‘That’s not acceptable here. We’ve got to figure out a way to fix that,’” said Susie Meade, the superintendent of Winterset Community Schools.

While most schools in the US boast broadband access these days, there is a homework gap—the problem created when students who use digital learning in class can’t get online at home to finish up their schoolwork. There isn’t going to be a silver bullet on this issue, said Susan Bearden, chief innovation officer at the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), during a panel at the Schools, Health and Libraries Broadband Coalition conference.

It’s one of the cruelest ironies in education: today’s schools must build and maintain robust high-speed, fiber-optic internet connections. But the process involved in finding funds for these upgrades can feel like a laggy dial-up modem, slow to a crawl—when it’s not cutting out completely. For more than 20 years, the Federal Communications Commission has directed the multi-billion dollar E-rate program, which provides taxpayer-supported construction and service discounts that districts and libraries can use toward internet costs.

With network neutrality in the rearview mirror, is E-Rate next on the Federal Communications Commission’s chopping block?  Experts admit it’s possible, if unlikely, but suggest a more probable series of modest changes in the short term. “I understand there are concerns about [FCC Chairman Ajit] Pai,” says John Harrington, CEO of the E-Rate consultancy Funds For Learning.