Based on survey data collected this past August by the Institute of Education Sciences (“IES”), 94% of public schools surveyed reported providing digital devices to students who need them, whereas only 45% of public schools were providing internet access to students who need access at home. The 45% home internet service coverage is down from 71% reported in a similar study conducted the previous year. As shown in the table below, the provision of devices by city and suburban schools was marginally higher than for town and rural schools, but the discrepancies on the provision of home internet services were significant — perhaps a function of internet costs and availability.
One aspect of the study we focused on was the provision of home internet service by poverty level as shown in the following table. The key determinant here is the income-to-poverty ratio (“IPR”) above or below 200% of the federal poverty threshold set for a family’s size and structure.
Recognizing that most schools are no longer relying on remote learning, it is disappointing, but perhaps not surprising, to see the 71%-to-45% drop in school-supported home internet services even with continued ECF funding available to higher discount schools. We continue to believe that home internet access is important for all students and that financial support, in one form or another, is necessary to ensure access for low-income families. If the schools are not providing that support directly, it behooves them to help educate student families below the 200% IPR level about the Affordable Connectivity Program (“ACP”) that provides discounts of up to $30 per month on internet services.
To assist in this effort, the FCC and USAC have developed a broad source of multilingual outreach material to explain the ACP program, to help families determine eligibility, and to guide them through applying for discounts. Both schools and libraries may find that their current internet providers would welcome an opportunity to jointly encourage ACP enrollment.