Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

ISTE Launches Campaign to #RaiseTheErateCap

Educators to FCC: E-Rate Modernization Must Include Increased Funding

  • 06/20/14

WASHINGTON, D.C. –The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE®) and its members continue to provide the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) with feedback on how to most effectively modernize the E-Rate program. Upon hearing confirmation today that the FCC is not currently planning to increase the funding cap, the organization has launched the #RaiseTheErateCap campaign. 

“We know that 50 percent of today’s jobs require some level of digital skills and, by the end of the decade, the number will reach nearly 80 percent,” said ISTE CEO Brian Lewis. “Without giving all students access to high-speed broadband, some of them will be stranded, left behind and racing to catch-up during a time when technology is evolving at a break-neck pace. This is why adequately funding the E-Rate program is so critical, and why ISTE has remained vigilant on this issue.” 

In a blog post today, the organization encouraged “all #ISTE members, educators, parents, and students across the country to tweet directly to @FCC using this new hashtag: #RaiseTheErateCap.”  Advocates are encouraged to tell FCC Commissioners “how important broadband and digital learning is for your students.” 

“To successfully make the shift to digital learning, educators must have reliable and fast broadband. We agree that the program needs to be modernized, but without more money, schools cannot successfully transition to connected learning environments,” said Lewis. “The E-Rate is a crucial issue and will be a big topic of discussion at our conference next week in Atlanta.”   

At ISTE 2014, members can sign a petition urging the FCC to increase funding for the E-Rate program. The petition will be at the ISTE Advocacy Network Booth Georgia World Congress Center,Building B, Level 4 - near room A410. 

For additional information about ISTE’s advocacy efforts around the E-Rate, visit www.iste.org/advocacy/public-policy.

About ISTE 2014
Part idea incubator and part collaborative workspace, the ISTE Conference and  Expo, to be held June 28 – July 1 at the Georgia World Conference Center in Atlanta, is the epicenter of forward-thinking where attendees share discoveries and develop solutions for their greatest challenges – all while connecting to a global network of education colleagues and resources.   

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. 

ISTE's innovative offerings include the ISTE Conference and Expo — one of the biggest, most comprehensive ed tech events — as well as the widely adopted ISTE Standards for learning, teaching and leading in the digital age and a robust suite of professional learning resources, including webinars, online courses, consulting services for schools and districts, books, and peer-reviewed journals and publications. For more information, visit iste.org. Connect with ISTE via Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Featured

  • Year-Round Schools Require Year-Round Indoor Air Quality Planning

    While many schools are out for the summer, year-round schools follow a more “balanced” schedule with shorter, more frequent breaks spaced throughout the school year. Even though this offers educational benefits, these facilities have less downtime for building maintenance. This can become an issue when facilities managers overlook the importance of routine HVAC maintenance and air duct cleaning services.

  • Johns Hopkins Starts Construction on New Residence Hall, Dining Facility

    The Homewood Campus of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., recently began construction on a new residence hall and dining facility, according to university news. The work involves demolishing the existing Alumni Memorial Residence Hall I, which was built in 1923, to make room for the new facility.

  • St. John Fisher University

    Classroom Revitalization – Basil Hall Room 216

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. St. John Fisher University's Basil Hall Room 216 Classroom Revitalization has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Project of Distinction award in the category of Spaces.

  • Myrtle Grove Elementary

    Phased Construction Keeps Students on Campus During Rebuild

    When Escambia County School District needed to replace most of Myrtle Grove Elementary School in Pensacola, Fla., it had three distinct challenges: honor the school's legacy in the community, bring state-of-the-art learning environments to the county, and be seamlessly built on the same site as the active school campus.