In the briefs, the groups underscore current data that paint the picture of broadband access and its implications:
- The Pew Research Center found that 5 million households with school-age children do not have broadband access. Low-income families make up a heavy share of those households.
- According to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 42 percent of teachers reported that their students lack sufficient access to technology outside of the classroom.
- Results from CoSN’s 2016 Annual Infrastructure Survey show that 75 percent of district technology leaders ranked addressing the lack of broadband access outside of school as a “very important” or “important” issue for their district to address.
- In the same survey, 68 percent of respondents reported that affordability is the greatest barrier to out-of-school broadband access.
Over time, the Lifeline Program has provided critical support for underserved Americans to help improve these trends. In March 2016, the FCC approved updates to the Lifeline Program that would expand it to include broadband service; require providers to offer devices that are WiFi and hotspot enabled; and add a new process for other broadband providers to join the program.
However, recent actions under new FCC leadership have limited the program’s expansion and jeopardized implementation of the program’s changes. CoSN and the Alliance encourage school leaders to not only urge federal modernization efforts but also to take steps on the state-level to increase connectivity. These steps include: creating a legal framework that includes “broadband-only” options for providers; offering state-level subsidies to Lifeline-eligible households; and collaborating with other states and the federal government.
Visit here to read both resources.
Learn more about CoSN’s leadership on digital equity here.
