In a few hours, the Federal Communications Commission is scheduled to vote on a landmark modernization of its E-Rate funding program. The 18-year-old federal subsidy helps schools and libraries shoulder the cost of telecommunications equipment, covering up to 90 percent of these expenses. But huge changes are afoot in how these federal dollars will be spent moving forward. In the past, subsidies have included phone lines and pagers, but with the changing times, federal officials want to redirect more funding to bring broadband and wireless Internet access to nearly every student and library in the country. The goal is part of President Barack Obama’s ConnectED initiative. “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,” FCC chairman Tom Wheeler said. Read more…
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