White House Touts 'Dramatic' ConnectED Progress
The White House touted its ConnectED progress Tuesday, outlining in both a fact sheet and a report how the broadband initiative has done. “Through two separate orders adopted in 2014, and, as a result of the President’s urging, the FCC…
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committed $5 billion over five years specifically for expanding access to high-speed wireless Internet and boosted the amount of funding available annually to schools and libraries through E-Rate from $2.4 billion to $3.9 billion,” said a 60-page report jointly released Tuesday by the White House and Department of Education. “All told, this amounts to an additional $8 billion of federal support over five years. Through these efforts, we have been able to cut the connectivity gap by more than half and are on-track to meet the President’s goal. In 2013, only 30 percent of school districts had access to high-speed broadband, leaving 40 million students without access to that connectivity.” In 2013, President Barack Obama “launched his ConnectED initiative with the goal of unleashing education technology in schools and connecting 99 percent of America’s students to high-speed broadband in their schools and libraries by 2018,” said an administration fact sheet released Tuesday. “We are on track to meet that goal -- 77 percent of school districts and an additional 20 million students now have access to high-speed broadband.” The report also recaps Obama’s attention to E-rate. “The Connectivity Divide in Schools Was Cut in Half,” reads the text accompanying one graphic in the report. It cited “dramatic” results. “In his final year in office, President Obama continues his work to ensure that all students have access to the fast broadband connections, modern devices, and new digital teaching tools they need to ensure they can thrive at school, at home, in college, and in the workplace,” the report said. “The administration continues to work with public and private organizations to build capacity among leaders and educators across the country so they are able to confidently lead the transition to transformative learning experiences powered by technology for all students.” Obama gathered with teachers at the White House Tuesday and mentioned the broadband initiative. "By 2018, we're going to make sure we reach the goal I set," Obama told the crowd of the 99 percent connectivity goal.