Broadband Update
ISTE leads efforts to provide greater
access to high-speed connectivity
ISTE has been leading efforts on broad- band deployment to ensure schools have the necessary connectivity to meet the demands of today’s technologies and those of tomorrow. All too often, slow Internet connections
are an impediment for teachers and administrators who try to take advantage of information
and communication technologies, and as a
result, students are denied modern learning
experiences.
In an effort to address this issue, ISTE became
a founding member of the Schools, Health and
Libraries Broadband Coalition (SHLB). This
group’s objective is to improve broadband capabilities at community anchor institutions across
the United States so that they can better serve
the public, specifically the underserved and
those without broadband access.
I was fortunate to speak at the press conference announcing the formation of the coalition
last June. I affirmed that high-speed broadband
networks in schools allow students to receive
essential educational services and opportunities
across the country, including some of the most
remote areas of the United States. High-speed
broadband also provides students with specialized courses, distance learning opportunities,
and access to applications that can address
students’ learning needs. As the world becomes
more interconnected, the availability of this connectivity will become an even more important
resource in preparing our children for the 21st
century. Accordingly, ISTE believes that the
SHLB Coalition’s plan to provide high-speed in
every school will not only create new opportunities for the U.S. educational system, but will also
equip our students with the necessary skills for
the jobs of tomorrow.
The coalition put forth a set of principles that
it believes are necessary to promote broadband
in the United States, including the idea that federal policy should be amended to encourage
the deployment of high-capacity broadband
networks that can provide a minimum of 100
Mbps to small entities and 1 Gbps or more to
larger entities.
ISTE also led efforts by the Education and
Library Networks Coalition (EdLiNC) to draft
a response to an FCC Notice of Inquiry focused
on national broadband. The EdLiNC comments
suggested that a few key changes to E-Rate could
further enhance its success in stimulating broadband penetration, including:
• Raising E-Rate’s $2.25 billion annual cap, as
demand routinely exceeds that level and few
schools will likely be able to receive internal
connections support in coming years without
an increase
• Changing the cost-allocation requirements
of the E-Rate program to permit the use of
E-Rate-supported services by the community
during nonschool hours
• Enacting a permanent exemption to the Anti-deficiency Act, thereby preventing E-Rate
funding disruptions such as the one that
occurred in 2004
EdLiNC also urged the FCC to collect broadband data that measure more than just bandwidth levels to buildings but also reflect broadband capacity down to the level of individual
classroom users.
VOICES CARRY
By Hilary Goldmann
Hilary Goldmann,
ISTE’s director of
government affairs, has
20 years of experience
in public policy and
advocacy and serves as
a volunteer columnist
for L&L.
