PD Editorial: Narrowing the technology gap for 16 cents

Rural communities by their very nature are not as easily wired as urban ones. Nevertheless, remoteness should not preclude broadband Internet service in schools and libraries. California can prepare its children for success, and an updated federal E-Rate program will play a crucial part in communities with the foresight to take advantage of it.

Congress created E-Rate back in 1996 to provide grants that help underserved schools and libraries afford Internet access. This is a digital age, after all, and no students can be deemed ready for the global marketplace without information technology skills.

The E-Rate program succeeded. Schools and libraries in rural, mostly economically challenged communities installed Internet service.

Success was fleeting. While those communities were playing catch-up, technology kept improving. What was a solid data just a few years ago doesn’t cut it today.

The Federal Communications Commission, which manages the E-Rate program, found that two-thirds of all school districts nationwide cannot meet long-term high-speed Internet connectivity targets. Many of them have about the same level of service as a typical wired household. That sort of bandwidth and speed is fine for a family of four, but for a school of 400 or more, it doesn’t cut it. Many also lack Wi-Fi.

Now there isn’t enough money to play catch-up again. The total value of E-Rate grants was capped when the program was created, and the dollars just don’t go as far as they used to.

The challenge is not so different from what the nation faces with its highways. Because the federal gas tax has not kept up with inflation, there’s no longer enough money for repairs to roads and bridges as well as new construction.

In the same way, what was adequate for the E-Rate in 1996 is inadequate today. This year, more than 100,000 schools and libraries applied for nearly $5 billion worth of grants, but the FCC may award no more than $2.4 billion.

Fortunately, it’s easier to increase the E-Rate cap than the gas tax. The FCC this month bumped the cap to $3.9 billion, which will do a lot of good in the communities that win grants.

That money must come from somewhere, though. A fee charged on every phone line pays for the E-Rate grants. It’s not much though, and we suspect most phone owners won’t even notice the change. The increase will cost a mere 16 cents extra per month.

Rep. Jared Huffman, whose district extends along the coast from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Oregon border, deserves some public thanks for helping make this happen. He and a bipartisan group of lawmakers urged the FCC to increase funding.

Earlier this year, the California Department of Education issued a blueprint for technology in learning. Tom Torlakson, the state superintendent of public instruction, noted, “Preparing our students to succeed in the society and the economy they will find when they leave our classrooms means preparing them to use technology effectively, safely, and productively.”

The E-Rate program will help rural communities accomplish those goals, but it is only one part of a complex picture. State and local leaders also must prioritize education so that every student has a chance to succeed.