The Federal Communications Commission hopes to modernize its E-rate subsidy program for schools and libraries by giving a boost to broadband coverage. However, that shift would come at the expense of subsidies for older technologies, such as analog Internet connections. Thousands of schools and libraries depend on federal funding from E-rate (officially called the universal service Schools and Libraries Program). The program provides these institutions with telecommunications discounts of up to 90 percent in an effort to help close the technology gap. But changes are afoot concerning how that money is spent. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said in a March address that E-rate’s pivot toward broadband could ruffle the feathers of some still reliant on older technologies. “At the end of this process, the way in which we pay for certain things may need to change. And the things that have historically been paid for by E-rate may no longer qualify,” Wheeler said. Read more…
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