Efforts continue in both the Senate and the House to enact legislation to enable and fund hardware and services in support of remote learning, particularly for students without access to affordable Internet service (see out newsletter of May 4th). Last week, the House passed its fourth COVID-19 bill, the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (“HEROES”) Act. Most importantly, the Act would provide $1.5 billion in funding through the E-rate Program to provide connectivity and devices, such as hotspots, to students, schools and libraries for use both at home and in the classroom. Additionally, the HEROES Act provides $4 billion in Internet subsidies for low-income households and to suppliers providing connecting devices. It also codifies the FCC’s Keep Americans Connected Pledge.
This week will see the culmination of a broad effort by over a thousand educational organizations urging Congressional support. The effort is spearheaded by the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition (“SHLB”) and the State E-Rate Coordinators’ Alliance (“SECA”), together with a detailed needs analysis by the E-rate consulting firm Funds For Learning. The coalition’s letter to Congress includes proposed legislative language in the form of a draft “E-rate to the Home” bill. The key provisions in the bill (if enacted) would provide:
- One-time emergency funding of $5.25 billion through the FCC’s E-rate Program (as modified) for home broadband service, network equipment, end-user equipment (including laptops or tablets), and cybersecurity measures.
- Procedural details to ensure:
- Explicit allowances for schools and libraries to extend their existing E-rate networks to serve the surrounding community.
- Service provider neutrality to allow participation by all broadband providers.
- Funding caps at the applicant level to allow planning certainty for schools and libraries.
- Retroactive funding back to March 13th to reimburse applicants having already undertaken necessary actions.
- Streamlined and expedited application review aimed at supporting remote learning by this fall.
Earlier Congressional proposals to fund remote learning have been encouraged by the educational community. What is unique in the “E-rate to the Home” initiative is: (a) the explicit support by schools, libraries, states, and educational interest groups; (b) a well-supported analysis of the financial need; and (c) an explicit implementation process incorporating minor modifications to the successful E-rate Program. Hopefully, Congress will listen.