Rewrite of E-Rate Program Could Cover Technology Outside Schools

With the final public comment period on proposed changes to the E-rate having come to a close, one of the most intriguing questions to emerge is whether the federal program should cover the costs of paying for students' web access outside of school.

The E-rate program provides discounts for Internet services for schools and libraries, but currently only covers connections that go into those buildings. In July 2013, as the Federal Communications Commission embarked on an effort to overhaul a program that many call underfunded and misaligned with the latest trends in technology, the agency asked for input on the possibility of expanding the program's rules to cover broadband access in homes and other out-of-school environments through wireless hotspots and other tools. The FCC has received roughly 1,400 comments about its proposed rule changes to the approximately $2.4 billion program from advocacy groups, telecommunications companies, and other interested parties.

A major publisher and Education company, McGraw-Hill Education, threw its support behind covering out-of-school broadband access. In the company's public comments, it noted that 2011 US Census data shows that households with annual salaries over $100,000 are more than twice as likely to have home broadband access as households with earnings of $25,000 per year. "Students who are without broadband access at home, disproportionately low-income students, are placed at a significant disadvantage relative to students with at-home broadband access," the company wrote. "The commission can take a major step to narrow the digital gap for low-income families and students by permitting schools to provide wireless hotspots to surrounding communities using E-rate-supported broadband."