Republican leaders of the House and Senate Commerce...
Republican leaders of the House and Senate Commerce committees asked the FCC to refer any expansion of the E-rate program to the FCC Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service. E-rate has received especially high-profile attention lately, with a prominent mention…
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in President Barack Obama’s State of the Union speech Tuesday and again Thursday afternoon at a high school in Nashville. Last summer, Obama announced a desire to revamp E-rate in an initiative the White House calls ConnectED, focused on bringing faster broadband speeds to U.S. schools. The Republicans sent a letter to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler Thursday, emphasizing the need “to ensure money is spent wisely,” signed by Senate Commerce Committee ranking member John Thune, S.D.; Senate Communications Subcommittee ranking member Roger Wicker, Miss.; House Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton, Mich.; and House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden, Ore. The joint board “should be used as a tool” to make sure any major changes happen “in an effective and appropriately tailored way,” the Republicans said. Obama spoke about a wide range of education priorities Thursday. “There’s not going to be a child in a school in America that does not have the kind of wireless connection that allows them to stream in the information they need that can power their education,” Obama said of ConnectED. “That’s going to be a priority.”