FCC may kill $2B program that connects schools and libraries to Internet
E-Rate on FCC chopping block
Carr cites screen time concerns, is accused of trying to be “the nation’s parent.”
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The Federal Communications Commission was roundly criticized today for proposing to scale back or eliminate E-Rate, a $2 billion-a-year Universal Service program that provides discounts for telecom services and equipment in schools and libraries.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said E-Rate should be changed because students are getting too much screen time. He led a 2-1 vote to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that proposes changes and asks the public to comment on them.
“Over the last decade, school districts across the country experimented with a massive increase in screen time for students,” Carr said at today’s meeting.
Carr blamed schools for replacing books and pencils with digital tools and said data shows “that more than half of students now use a computer for...
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