E rate
The Heritage Foundation claims there is no correlation between providing Wi-Fi hotspots and improving educational outcomes.
WASHINGTON, April 19, 2024 – Education advocacy groups are pushing back against key filings on the Federal Communications Commission’s proposal to authorize E-rate funding for off-campus wireless broadband connections.
I saw it on Monday joint response From the School, Health, and Library Broadband Coalition, American Library Association, and School Networking Consortium. letter from The Heritage Foundation is a conservative think tank.
Heritage had previously opposed the FCC's current E-Rate proposal, citing “arbitrariness, lack of evidence, erosion of parental rights, wasteful spending, and lack of authority.”
Public interest groups challenged the Heritage Foundation's characterization of the E-rate. Heritage said there is no evidence to support a link between providing Wi-Fi hotspots and improving educational outcomes. It also raises concerns about the impact of increased screen time on children's mental health and aims to dissuade the FCC from allocating E-rate funding to provide off-campus connectivity.
The public interest group countered by citing seven studies that demonstrated a beneficial link between Internet access and academic performance. Research shows that students without internet access at home are also less likely to complete a college degree.
Mr. Heritage's letter also suggested that the FCC's proposed changes would result in wasteful use of E-rate funds and that introducing another source of funding would burden the current funding framework.
The public interest group said this reflected a misunderstanding of how the current E-rate system operates. The current E-rate cap is $4.9 billion per year, but the actual demand for E-rate support is approximately $3.2 billion.
“The E-Rate program has sufficient headroom to support off-campus E-Rate support without 'squeezing' existing E-Rate services,” the group's response states.
Does it exceed the powers of section 254?
Heritage also argued that the rulemaking exceeded the FCC's statutory authority and said Section 254 restricts E-Rate funds. I just did it Telecommunications and information services in school classrooms and libraries.
Public interest groups counter that the word “only” does not appear in this section of the law, and that other provisions of Section 254 provide telecommunications services to all parts of the country at fair, reasonable and affordable rates. He added that neutral rules have been established to ensure that
While many schools and libraries acquired hotspots during the Emergency Connectivity Fund program and successfully utilized them, many others found traditional hotspots to be ineffective, the group said. The joint filing states that a Wi-Fi mesh network, or Citizen Broadband, is being used. Wireless service-based tools can provide higher levels of service at lower costs. They also said there are ways to improve the efficiency of E-rates.
These groups are encouraging the FCC to reconsider. Considering costs Filed for the record on behalf of SHLB and the Open Technology Institute, a New America think tank. This study demonstrated significant cost savings when these other technologies were eligible for E-rate funding as well.