- A bipartisan group of 30 AGs, led by Colorado AG Phil Weiser and Nebraska AG Doug Peterson, submitted a comment letter to the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) urging the FCC to expand its E-Rate program, which provides funding for expanding school and library broadband connectivity to support remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The letter was sent in support of several states’ petitions, including Colorado, seeking the temporary waiver of certain restrictions on the E-Rate program to allow the use of E-Rate funds for Wi-Fi hotspots and other broadband Internet solutions for students who lack adequate connectivity to participate in remote schooling.
- The letter argues that the FCC has the authority to amend or waive E-rate program rules to allow it to support a range of technological solutions to the extraordinary need for remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The letter also asserts that expanding Internet access through the E-Rate program can help ensure educational equity.