E-Rate Funding Applications Total $3.9B for 2015
EdTech Magazine
MAY 20, 2015
Frank Smith 'These requests reflect long pent-up demand' says FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler.
2015 Broadband E-rate 
Why the FCC’s E-rate Makes Funding High-Speed Internet a Slow Crawl
Edsurge
AUGUST 7, 2018
For more than 20 years, the Federal Communications Commission has directed the multi-billion dollar E-rate program, which provides taxpayer-supported construction and service discounts that districts and libraries can use toward internet costs. A quarter of respondents rated the system neither easy nor difficult in the 2017 survey.
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Only 28% of Districts Have Enough Bandwidth to Use Digital Learning Every Day
Edsurge
OCTOBER 2, 2018
million students who lack internet access, the nonprofit is also looking ahead to the future, when 1 Mbps per student becomes the new broadband benchmark. students with access to at least 100 kbps of broadband has increased from 4 million to 44.7 Last year, when 94 percent of districts had access to high-speed broadband and 6.5
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E-rate Category 2 NPRM Update
Education Superhighway
SEPTEMBER 19, 2019
EducationSuperHighway enthusiastically agrees with the Commission’s statement that the E-Rate Category 2 Rules implemented via the 2014 Modernization Orders have resulted in “more equitable and predictable” Category 2 funding, and fully supports the Commission’s intent to make these rules permanent. . FY 2016 – FY 2019).
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A school district is building a DIY broadband network
The Hechinger Report
JUNE 12, 2017
But Bredder can’t give students the tool he considers most indispensable to 21st-century learning — broadband internet beyond school walls. They’re building their own countywide broadband network. This is an equity issue,” said Bredder. “If The hardware on the towers then blasts that connection about 10 miles into the valley below.
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$1B in E-rate funding left on the table
Education Superhighway
FEBRUARY 19, 2019
As the largest education technology program in the country, the Schools and Libraries program (E-rate) has transformed Internet access in our nation’s schools. In 2014, AASA played a lead role in modernizing the E-rate program, advocating for key changes such as: A policy update to make the program broadband-centric; and.
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Free Tool Provides a Roadmap—Literally—For Faster, Cheaper Broadband in Schools
Edsurge
NOVEMBER 15, 2016
And today, the organization that helped Hering’s district reach its bandwidth goals released Compare & Connect K-12 , a new free tool that CEO Evan Marwell says will help provide high-speed broadband at lower costs for school leaders looking to amp up students’ digital access. “We They turned to E-rate, the $3.9
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?34.9 Million US Students—Up 10.4 Million since 2015—Now Connected Online
Edsurge
JANUARY 17, 2017
E-Rate , an FCC program that provides funding to help schools and libraries build fiber infrastructure and expand their wi-fi and broadband networks. The program offers a wealth of school internet data which EducationSuperHighway used for its first State of the States report , based on 6,500 reporting districts, in 2015.
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Rural Broadband Month: Encouraging Equal Access to Digital Learning
Education Superhighway
AUGUST 1, 2017
In 2015, Fort Smith Schools was the first district in the state to reach 200 kbps per student, exceeding the Federal Communications Commission’s recommended minimum of 100 kbps of Internet speed per student. In a July 2017 statement , FCC Chairman Ajit Pai designated August as Rural Broadband Month at the agency. at home either.
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Announcing the 2015 State of the States report on school broadband connectivity
Education Superhighway
NOVEMBER 18, 2015
Today we are excited to announce the release of our first annual 2015 State of the States report on Internet connectivity in America’s K-12 public schools. Since then, thanks to the modernization of the E-rate program that made an additional $2.5 with access to fiber.
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How 2 states are making school broadband a priority
eSchool News
OCTOBER 27, 2015
As digital tools play an increasingly larger role in learning, states are targeting school broadband access for all students. As high-speed broadband internet becomes critical for student success in and beyond the classroom, a number of state education leaders are forging partnerships to strengthen school broadband throughout their districts.
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The Power of Transparency: Broadband pricing data helps Virginia school districts get more bandwidth
Education Superhighway
JULY 10, 2015
In our work over the past three years to understand and analyze school broadband connectivity and costs, we have discovered high variance in the prices that school districts in different areas of the country—and even within the same state and county—pay for Internet access.
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Rural Broadband Month: Encouraging Equal Access to Digital Learning
Education Superhighway
AUGUST 1, 2017
In 2015, Fort Smith Schools was the first district in the state to reach 200 kbps per student, exceeding the Federal Communications Commission’s recommended minimum of 100 kbps of Internet speed per student. In a July 2017 statement , FCC Chairman Ajit Pai designated August as Rural Broadband Month at the agency. at home either.
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40 A Thinking Person’s Guide to EdTech News (2017 Week 28 & 29 Editions)
Doug Levin
JULY 24, 2017
graduation rates — up to a record 83 percent — and whether it is real or an elaborate scam. Tagged on: July 23, 2017 ED warns schools of another widespread ransomware attack | Future of Ed Tech e-Newsletter → In light of a recent widespread ransomware attack, the U.S. So why do I still want schools to use them? Unified gets a $3.26-million
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2016 “State of the States” Report: Dramatic progress in connecting America’s K-12 students to high-speed broadband
Education Superhighway
JANUARY 12, 2017
Today marks the release of our second annual “State of the States” report on the state of broadband connectivity in the nation’s K-12 public schools. took bipartisan action to upgrade their schools in 2016 – with 5 states connecting 100 percent of their students to high-speed broadband. 35 million students. million teachers.
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98 Percent of U.S. Public School Districts Connected to High-Speed Broadband, But 2.3 Million Students Still Left Behind
Education Superhighway
SEPTEMBER 27, 2018
EducationSuperHighway today released its annual State of the States report highlighting the major progress that has been achieved to connect nearly every public school classroom to high-speed broadband. million more students to next-generation broadband and, 21,600 more schools to fiber infrastructure. million students and 2.6
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FCC Issues New Category Two Rules
Education Superhighway
DECEMBER 6, 2019
The Federal Communications Commission has issued a highly anticipated Report and Order (12/3/2019), that makes notable and permanent changes to E-rate rules for Category Two funding applications. ALL applicants, even those who started spending Category Two funding in 2015, will be able to continue using that funding in 2020.
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64 FCC to fine AT&T for overcharging Fla. districts
eSchool News
AUGUST 4, 2016
AT&T charged two Florida school districts some of the highest telecommunications rates in the state and will face a fine for violating federal law and the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) “lowest corresponding price” rule, the FCC said in a statement. The FCC said it plans to fine AT&T $106,425.
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Another Cause of Inequality: Slow Internet in Schools
Educator Innovator
MARCH 7, 2014
Students now interview authors across the country via Skype and access books that match their interests and reading levels on e-readers. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of teachers surveyed by Pew reported using mobile phones in the classroom or to complete assignments, while almost half (45%) reported using e-readers and tablet computers.
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The 5 reasons schools don’t have better internet connectivity
eSchool News
NOVEMBER 4, 2015
Improving network speed and capacity and increasing competition for broadband services remain significant challenges to districts as well, the survey reveals. The results also detail the impact of changes to the E-rate program, as well as the growing issue of digital equity for technology access outside of the classroom.
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Report: 41 percent of schools are under-connected
eSchool News
APRIL 7, 2016
A new report details the importance of state advocacy in connecting schools, students to broadband internet. A new report from SETDA and Common Sense Kids Action focuses on K-12 broadband and wi-fi connectivity, state leadership for infrastructure, state broadband implementation highlights, and state advocacy for federal broadband support.
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New tool helps districts compare bandwidth pricing
eSchool News
JANUARY 21, 2016
Through Compare & Connect K-12, school district technology directors and superintendents can easily view broadband pricing and bandwidth information for school districts across the country. Users can explore bandwidth speeds and compare broadband service pricing with nearby school districts in a specific location or across the country.
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40 “Tired of fighting that fight”: School districts’ uphill battle to get good deals on ed tech
The Hechinger Report
MARCH 26, 2018
When administrators in Ohio’s Mentor Public Schools were buying MacBooks during the 2015-16 school year, the local Best Buy was offering a lower price than Apple, even after the company’s standard discount for school districts. And EducationSuperHighway brought pricing transparency to school district broadband purchasing.
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EducationSuperHighway announces new milestone in closing the K-12 connectivity gap
Education Superhighway
SEPTEMBER 27, 2018
More highlights from this year’s report: The number of students with access to the broadband they need for digital learning grew from 4 million in 2013 to 44.7 Since 2015, the amount invested in Wi-Fi nearly doubled to $2.9 billion in E-rate funds set to expire in 2019. billion in E-rate funds set to expire in 2019.
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Skyrocketing Category 2 Form 470s
Education Superhighway
FEBRUARY 22, 2019
The E-rate Category 2 program has been a game changer for school districts across America looking to upgrade their internal networks. Since 2015, 83% of school districts nationwide have received federal E-rate Category 2 funding — a dramatic increase from 14% between 2011 and 2014. Current program set up.
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Compare & Connect K-12 (Beta): Test out our new tool that lets school districts compare bandwidth deals
Education Superhighway
JANUARY 21, 2016
Today we released the beta version of Compare & Connect K-12 , an online tool that helps school district technology directors and superintendents view broadband services and bandwidth information for school districts across the country. View your school district and others on Compare & Connect K-12.
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?Overcoming Hacking and Cybercrimes — The Next Obstacle to Edtech
Edsurge
DECEMBER 1, 2016
According to cybersecurity firm Symantec, 54 “zero-day vulnerabilities” (a security hole in platforms such as Microsoft Windows that can be exploited by hackers before the vendor can deliver a fix) were discovered in 2015, an increase of 125 percent from the prior year. Cybercrime is the next threat.
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Montana Governor Steve Bullock announces partnership to connect every classroom in the state to high-speed Internet
Education Superhighway
SEPTEMBER 14, 2015
September 14, 2015. The Office of the Governor and the Montana Office of Public Instruction have partnered with EducationSuperHighway to bring high-speed broadband to every school in Montana. We are excited to receive the support of ESH to help us meet new bandwidth targets.”.
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Nearly all American classrooms can now connect to high-speed internet, effectively closing the “connectivity divide”
The Hechinger Report
OCTOBER 23, 2019
We saw the first big leap of results in the 2015-16 year,” Marwell remembered. “I When we started all of this, it wasn’t because we wanted to get broadband in every classroom,” Marwell said. “We I said ‘OK, this actually could happen.’”. The early finish hasn’t changed the organization’s planned closing date of August 2020.
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Another Cause of Inequality: Slow Internet in Schools
Educator Innovator
MARCH 7, 2014
Students now interview authors across the country via Skype and access books that match their interests and reading levels on e-readers. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of teachers surveyed by Pew reported using mobile phones in the classroom or to complete assignments, while almost half (45%) reported using e-readers and tablet computers.
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36 Most students go to a school that meets federal standards for internet speed
The Hechinger Report
JANUARY 18, 2017
In late 2015, Education SuperHighway received a $20 million grant from the Chan-Zuckerberg Foundation, the charitable group of the chief executive of Facebook and his wife, a pediatrician. Do you think schools are using the new transparency provided by E-rate to negotiate better deals? Absolutely.
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Digital Equity: Who Is Responsible?
Graphite Blog
DECEMBER 9, 2015
However, most of our time, focus, and resources are concentrated on at-school connections -- a sensible strategy when the state of technology at school has been severely lacking (see CoSN's 2014 E-Rate and Infrastructure Survey ). This piece was originally published on the CoSN blog on September 16, 2015.
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40 Oregon school works with EducationSuperHighway to get 11x faster Internet speeds for students
Education Superhighway
AUGUST 28, 2015
Located on a large island in the middle of the Columbia River, Sauvie Island Academy faced several roadblocks to obtaining sufficient broadband speeds. Understand the Broadband Landscape. First, EducationSuperHighway’s network consultants conducted an in-depth analysis of the island’s broadband landscape.
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40 Digital Equity: 5 Steps to Addressing the Homework Gap
Graphite Blog
DECEMBER 23, 2015
In a sneak peek of the results from the forthcoming CoSN third annual E-Rate & Broadband Survey, which will be available by mid-October, the vast majority of U.S. Step 5: Take advantage of special broadband offerings. These programs typically are available to low-income families (for example, broadband for $9.95
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40 Digital equity bill targets ‘homework gap’
eSchool News
SEPTEMBER 23, 2015
The Digital Learning Equity Act of 2015 , introduced by Rep. Through E-Rate, the Federal Communications Commission reinvested in digitally connecting all U.S. “The Digital Learning Equity Act of 2015 (H.R. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and co-sponsored by Rep. David McKinley (R-W.Va.), classrooms over the next five years.
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How A Deregulated Internet Could Hurt America’s Classrooms
MindShift
DECEMBER 13, 2017
” The 2015 rules are meant to prevent internet providers, such as Comcast, AT&T and Verizon, from controlling what people can watch and see on the internet. have access to high-speed internet and more than 118,000 school and libraries use the E-rate program. Now 94 percent of school districts in the U.S.
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58 Hack Education Weekly News
Hack Education
OCTOBER 14, 2016
” “Modern E-Rate Puts Telephones On Hold in K–12,” Education Week reports , noting that schools are struggling to pay for phone service (still totally necessary) as well as expanded broadband. ” These colleges no longer offer federal loans because of students’ high default rates.
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40 Alaska schools pay a price for the nation’s slowest internet, but change is coming
The Hechinger Report
JANUARY 28, 2019
But faster, more affordable broadband could help students navigate the effects of global warming evident in their own backyards. New state leadership will likely shape the future of rural broadband, but in what ways is yet to be determined. Nome Public Schools students take state tests in the high school computer lab.
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The History of the Future of E-rate
Hack Education
MARCH 8, 2017
Wheeler had been a “champion” of net neutrality and E-rate reform, according to Education Week at least, but his replacement, Trump appointee Ajit Pai, seems poised to lead the agency with a very different set of priorities – and those priorities will likely shape in turn what happens to ed-tech under Trump. .”
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50 The Business of Education Technology
Hack Education
DECEMBER 4, 2016
True, 2015 was a record-breaking year for ed-tech funding – over $4 billion by my calculations. This fall, the EducationSuperHighway released a price comparison tool so that districts could see neighbors’ broadband costs and ideally leverage that information to get a better deal.
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40 Education's Online Futures
Hack Education
DECEMBER 12, 2017
A study released in 2015 found that colleges were increasingly turning to adjuncts to teach online classes, and those hiring patterns – that is, the hiring of part-time, contingent instructors rather than tenure-track professors – have likely continued in recent years as higher education has expanded its online offerings.
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Hack Education
DECEMBER 15, 2017
Not Net Neutrality, but another potential FCC move – ending the E-Rate program. Via Pacific Standard : “Why Is the FCC Considering Cutting Broadband Access for Students?” Via The Chronicle of Higher Education : “ Private Colleges Had 58 Millionaire Presidents in 2015.” More via Techcrunch.
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The Politics of Education Technology
Hack Education
DECEMBER 2, 2016
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced in October of last year that he’d step down at the end of 2015. E-Rate has been, since the origin of the fund in 1996, the main way in which schools and libraries were supposedly guaranteed “reasonable rates” on telecommunications services.
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