Several members of the House are preparing to...
Several members of the House are preparing to tell the FCC to integrate broadband more closely into the E-rate program. “The FCC should focus E-rate on broadband connectivity and infrastructure, create an upgrade fund to support rural areas, and increase…
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transparency, accountability, and program efficiency so that we can deploy high-speed broadband to more schools and classrooms,” wrote Reps. Jared Polis, D-Colo.; Chris Gibson, R-N.Y.; Jared Huffman, D-Calif.; Don Young, R-Alaska; and Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., in a letter to colleagues. They are trying to attract signatories for a letter they've drafted to all five FCC members. “We are proud to support the bipartisan recommendations to update E-rate and we call for those across the education, government, and business communities to recognize the opportunity we have to improve and modernize our schools,” the letter draft said. “We ask the Commission for swift action to bring high-speed broadband to our students on an expedited basis.” Schools should shoot for 100 Mbps now and 1 Gbps by 2017, it said. The letter recommended: “(1) Focus E-rate on broadband connectivity and infrastructure to ensure that we maximize the impact of the program on learning by limiting support for yesterday’s outdated dial-up era technologies; (2) Create an upgrade fund within the E-rate program to connect every school and library, particularly those in rural areas, to high-speed broadband; (3) Increase transparency and accountability for the program in order to reduce costs, research effective practices, and ensure that all students have access to the connectivity they need; and (4) Simplify and streamline onerous paperwork requirements to improve program efficiency.” The FCC this past year reviewed ways to change its E-rate fund as part of a proceeding devoted to what commissioners have called “E-rate 2.0.”