GET CONNECTED: Schools are moving one step closer to providing all US students with access to broadband. In the 2015-2016 school year, a record $3.9 billion will be awarded to schools and libraries through the federal E-rate program.
In December, the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) approved an increase of the E-rate budget from $2.3 billion to its current limit of $3.9 billion. And the increase comes without additional cost to taxpayers, as was projected: instead, the additional funding will come from “fiscal and programmatic reforms that freed up more than $1.5 billion for Wi-Fi,” writes FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler in a blog post.
