The Learning First Alliance (LFA), which represents more than 10 million parents, educators and policymakers, supported a recent letter that a group of 13 education organizations collectively sent to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) about the Commission’s proposed changes to the E-rate Program.

Some of the concerns expressed in the letter include:

• Whether the E-rate Program can be sustained, considering the FCC’s expressed intent to implement a five-year, $5 billion plan to invest in Priority II Wi-Fi connections; and
• The "grossly oversimplified" plan to change the existing funding structure for Priority II to a per-pupil formula allocation for schools and a per square-foot formula for libraries.

The letter was issued by the American Association of School Administrators, The School Superintendents Association, American Federation of Teachers, Association of Educational Service Agencies, Council of Great City Schools, International Society for Technology in Education, National Association of Elementary School Principals, National Association of Federally Impacted Schools, National Association of Secondary School Principals, National Catholic Educational Association, National Education Association, National PTA, National Rural Education Advocacy Coalition, and National Rural Education Association.

“E-rate is critical to supporting school connectivity and ultimately student learning,” said Cheryl S. Williams, executive director of the Learning First Alliance. “The LFA agrees with the concerns posed in this letter regarding the proposed E-rate reforms and supports the call for an increased E-rate funding cap and equitable distribution to ensure the program will be both sustainable and successful.”

Read the full letter.

Article by Navindra Persaud, EducationWorld Contributor