In order to take advantage of cutting-edge technology and instructional approaches like personalizing learning, teachers and students need greater access to high-speed internet connectivity. The current operational, funding and regulatory structures of E-rate, a federal tax created to bring telephone and internet services to school and libraries, are major obstacles to this powerful future.
Although the Federal Communications Commission has embarked on a commendable effort to reengineer E-rate, it remains a cumbersome exercise in paper shuffling, with goals that are largely mismatched with the needs of 21st-century education. With the transition to the Trump administration and the possible elevation of Commissioner Ajit Pai to be the next chairman of the FCC, the timing is right to make substantive changes that will better serve our schools and students.
The full article can be found on Real Clear Education.
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