Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

ISTE Applauds FCC for Listening to Voice of Educators on E-Rate Modernization

  • 07/11/14

Action Includes Further Notice of Proposed Rule Making to Increase E-Rate Funding Cap

WASHINGTON, D.C. –The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE®) today issued the following statement from CEO Brian Lewis following the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) vote on the proposal to modernize the E-Rate program that subsidizes telecommunications and Internet costs for school districts:

“We applaud the Commission’s conviction to doing what’s right for education and launch a serious conversation about change the E-Rate truly does need -- more funding. Our community has spoken and the need for additional support is real. The Commission did the right thing today by issuing a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on the E-Rate funding cap. We hope that a final decision on increasing the program’s annual funding cap will come quickly.

We also appreciate the Commission’s willingness to listen to educators and make meaningful improvements to this order. We support many of the practical steps that the Commission adopted today and its commitment to retain the E-Rate’s core principles and flexibility as the foundations of a modernized E-Rate program. We believe that the Commission’s efforts to promote WiFi and broadband in our nation’s classrooms and libraries, coupled with increased funding in the not-too-distant future, has the potential to provide all students with the connectivity necessary for learning in the digital age.

Finally, we extend our sincere thanks to Chairman Wheeler and his fellow Commissioners for their thoughtful actions as we continue this critical process. In addition, we recognize Commissioner Rosenworcel for her staunch support for educators and deep and abiding commitment to the E-Rate program. We look forward to sharing the perspectives and needs of school districts with all of the Commissioners as we move to this next, most crucial phase of E-Rate modernization.”

About ISTE
The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE®) is the premier nonprofit organization serving educators and education leaders committed to empowering connected learners in a connected world. ISTE serves more than 100,000 education stakeholders throughout the world. For more information, visit iste.org. Connect with ISTE via Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Featured

  • Round Rock ISD Completes New Early College High School

    Round Rock ISD near Austin, Texas, recently announced that construction is complete on a new, 46,500-square-foot campus for Early College High School, according to a news release. The new facility will allow the school’s students and staff to move from portables into a permanent building and increase its enrollment to 500.

  • University of Arizona Approves New Residence Hall

    The Arizona Board of Regents recently approved plans for a new residence hall at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Ariz., according to a news release. The new facility is scheduled to open in fall 2028 and have the capacity for more than 1,200 students, enforcing a new university expectation that all first-year students live on campus.

  • Houston-Area High School Breaks Ground on 117,000SF Multi-Use Facility

    North Shore Senior High School, part of Galena Park ISD in Houston, Texas, recently broke ground on a new multi-use facility for student extracurriculars, according to a news release. The North Shore Multi-Use Facility will include dedicated practice and training space for the school’s athletics and fine arts programs.

  • How a Portable Sink Helped an Art Classroom Run More Smoothly

    Classroom design decisions can have outsized effects on instructional time and safety at schools juggling mismatched infrastructure, strict budgets, and crowded schedules — particularly in the arts. Between spilled paint and dirty brushes, art classes run smoother with a sink in the studio. But many schools don’t have a sink in every art classroom.