E-Rate

A conservative-leaning FCC, coupled with legal and congressional challenges, have created uncertainty around the E-rate program that funds school broadband. Experts say districts will need local funding and community partnerships to fill the gap.

Plus, E-rate program funding is at risk, broadband legislation has been introduced, Massachusetts debuts connectivity initiative, materials from the Office of Educational Technology are once again available, and more.

A panel at the Future of Education Technology Conference in Orlando last week offered tips on planning for the future of broadband, while cautioning attendees that aspects of the E-rate program are in political jeopardy.

The application window for the Federal Communications Commission's cybersecurity pilot program saw requests from schools and libraries in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia.

Plus, more states have been awarded federal funding from the Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program, and the city of Boulder, Colo., has announced a new partnership to expand community broadband.

Policy experts at the California IT in Education conference last week said Republicans in control of Congress and the Federal Communications Commission may seek to revoke recent E-rate program expansions.

Great Bend Unified School District 428 in Kansas plans to use E-rate funds to upgrade the district's Internet bandwidth and put Wi-Fi on school buses. It also intends to apply for the FCC's new cybersecurity program.

More than 2,500 applicants applied for funding through the Federal Communications Commission’s three-year Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program, which will fund expenses like firewalls and endpoint detection.

Plus, Massachusetts is investing in digital skills training; a partnership in Scranton, Pa., aims to create a universal network; the Federal Communications Commission looks to drive tribal participation in E-rate; and more.

The filing period to apply to join the Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program will begin in mid-September, the Federal Communications Commission has announced. Applicants will have about six weeks to submit.

Weeks after a court ruling in July found the FCC's E-rate program unconstitutional, some legal experts say strong bipartisan support for E-rate and the other universal service programs could ensure their survival.

This week’s decision from the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals calls the Universal Service Fund unconstitutional. The nearly 30-year-old fund uses telecommunications fees to pay for the FCC’s E-rate program.

The Federal Communications Commission voted July 18 to allow funding for Wi-Fi hot spots under the E-rate program. Schools can loan these hot spots to students who lack Internet access at home.

Still in committee as part of the Kids Off Social Media Act, Eyes on the Board aims to tie E-rate funding to the restriction of social media access on any school networks supported by these federal funds.

The FCC expects to open the application window for the three-year $200 million Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program this fall and urges prospective applicants to start preparing now.

Plus, Massachusetts has added three members to its digital accessibility board, a federal resource on digital literacy aims to support community needs, and more.

The Federal Communications Commission’s new Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program will use universal service funds to provide cybersecurity help to K-12 districts while collecting data on what they need.

In a presentation Monday at the National School Boards Association conference in New Orleans, Lawrence Public Schools officials explained how building a private fiber network improved digital equity and saved money.