When President Obama promised to bring high speed internet access to 20 million students in 15,000 American schools, many people wondered where he’d find the money to make it happen. Now we have the answer.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) just announced that it will, over the next two years, double the money it spends on building high-speed internet connections in schools and libraries.
Where’s the money coming from in today’s world of constant budget battles? The FCC is going to restructure the $2.4 billion E-Rate program that was designed to pay for “advanced telecommunications and information services”. Specifically, they intend to redirect fees paid into that program by telecommunications users. Voila! The amount budgeted for high speed internet service in schools and libraries will jump from $1 billion to $2 billion a year.
The best news of all? The FCC insists that the new spending plan will not require additional taxes, assessments or fees.
In case this E-Rate program is new to you, please allow us to explain in greater detail. It is part of the Universal Service Fund, which also pays for Lifeline, the much-discussed, often controversial free government cell phone program.
The expansion of the school and library internet program will begin almost immediately. Most of the money to be spent this calendar year will come from excess funds left over from previous years’ budgets. In the future, money to pay for the program will come from the redirection of money spent on outdated technologies.
The goal of the redirected spending? To increase broadband speeds in schools and libraries and to bring wireless networks to more schools.
This program couldn’t come at a more critical time. A 2010 FCC survey showed a stark difference between America’s haves and have nots. Only half of schools that receive E-Rate funds currently offer their students internet speeds of three megabits per second.
America’s students deserve better. The FCC wants all schools to have broadband connections of 100 megabits per second by 2015. And that’s just the beginning of the Commission’s bold goals. It is shooting for connection speeds of one gigabit per second by 2020.
Did we say bold goals? Perhaps we also should have said vital goals.
Source: NY Times
Margaret Richards says
I want to know how to get started with this cheap internet service. I really want to get this cheap internet service. I need this so bad. I’m without a job and no unemployment. I need my computer to look for work and to do all my business. So I had to fill for Social Security at the age of 63. So that hurts I don’t get my full benefits.
Thank You
Margaret Richards