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The InternetMost parents and teachers already know this, almost half of all teens report they are constantly online. That's what the researchers at Pew Internet found in their Teens, Social Media & Technology report in 2018.
With COVID-19 cases increasing there is a push for remote learning. The FCC and the Department of Education have been working with governors across America to promote the use of $16 billion from the CARES Act’s Education Stabilization Fund which would be used to increase broadband access in their communities. The FCC also waived certain rules to encourage service providers and equipment makers to partner with schools and libraries to help provide mobile hotspots and other broadband-enabled devices to students to help bridge the digital divide during the coronavirus pandemic. https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/connect-america-fund-phase-ii-faqs The FCC has four programs within the Universal Service Fund that helps consumers in rural and high cost areas connect to fixed and mobile broadband. Since the telecommunications act of 1996 rewrote the policies of universal service it has encouraged the creation of these programs. One of the four programs called E-rate which works closely with schools and libraries has a goal of connecting 10 million students a year to 21st Century educational tools. |
