EdTech Advocacy Day: Modernizing E-Rate is a Policy Priority

When ed-tech leaders from 21 states met with lawmakers to discuss 2022 policy priorities at EdTech Advocacy Day in Washington (DC), they coalesced around the idea of modernizing federal E-rate funding for new expenses. The May 12 event brought together officials from the US Department of Education, Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington and FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks. Participants also spoke about a range of policies to bolster ed-tech funding in schools and universities, protect student data privacy, expand student connectivity and close the “homework gap,” among other digital learning topics. The event was led by ed-tech advocacy groups such as the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) and the Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA), with the goal of identifying policies that would provide much-needed support for digital equity efforts and student access to digital learning. CoSN CEO Keith Krueger said the event touched on the importance of utilizing federal E-rate funding from the FCC for ed-tech needs and expanding student connectivity moving forward. Among the most notable topics was a proposal to use the funding for Wi-Fi on school buses.