Getting high-speed Internet into every classroom and library may be possible with a new proposal by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
Chairman of the FCC, Tom Wheeler, laid out a proposal on Monday that would increase the yearly cap for school Internet costs by about $1.5 billion.
Though that may seem like a huge increase, the costs to consumers would not be so steep. Less than $2 in fees per phone line per year could cover it, according to the FCC’s proposal.
“While the impact on consumers will be small, the impact on children, teachers, local communities and American competitiveness will be great,” the proposal reads.
Right now, about 40 million students do not have access to the kind of broadband Internet connection necessary to participate in today’s technological options for learning, especially in rural and less-affluent areas.
The proposal will be discussed next month during the December meeting of the FCC. Approval from three out of five of the commissioners on the panel is needed to move forward.
If the proposal passes, the annual cap for Internet spending for schools would be $3.9 billion. For context, the original spending cap was $2.25 billion in 1997. There was no annual adjustment for inflation until 2010.
According to the proposal, more than 60% of the $1.5 billion increase would be trying to catch up from the stagnancy that occurred 1997 through 2010. The rest of the cost is due to the increase in bandwidth needs that has happened since 1997.
Opinions on the proposal are mixed so far.
Education Secretary, Arne Duncan, released a statement in support of the proposal, saying that access to fast Internet can help give students the “best chance to succeed in the global economy.”
However, Republican FCC Commissioner, Ajit Pai released a statement opposing the proposal, believing that the FCC should focus on reforms to cut through “bureaucratic red tape” and allow resources to be refocused on those who need it most.
