{"id":3288,"date":"2016-03-24T17:30:00","date_gmt":"2016-03-24T17:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/edscoop.scpnewsgrp.com\/fcc-vote-could-help-close-homework-gap\/"},"modified":"2018-06-14T13:41:54","modified_gmt":"2018-06-14T13:41:54","slug":"fcc-vote-could-help-close-homework-gap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scoopmedia-develop.go-vip.net\/edscoop\/fcc-vote-could-help-close-homework-gap\/","title":{"rendered":"FCC vote could help close ‘homework gap’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lifeline is about to get a helping hand from the Federal Communications Commission.\n<\/p>\n

After months of hearings and raising awareness through blogs<\/a>, media and events, the five commissioners are scheduled to vote on March 31 to officially modernize a program for low-income consumers to receive subsidies on their phone \u2013 and, now, broadband \u2013 service. The move could help thousands of low-income students<\/a> and families get online to complete schoolwork at home.\n<\/p>\n

It’s a major upgrade for a program that started in 1985 during the Reagan administration.\n<\/p>\n

“Lifeline modernization is a critical piece of our agenda,” said Gigi Sohn, counselor to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, at the New America Foundation. “The revitalized [program] can help tackle the biggest barrier to broadband adoption: cost.”\n<\/p>\n

For more than three decades, low-income Americans have been able to receive a monthly subsidy of $9.25 for landlines and wireless phone and communication services.\n<\/p>\n

Starting in December, there will be a phase-in of mobile broadband minimum service standards so providers have time to adjust to the new business model. The amount of 3G data will eventually increase from 500 MB to 1 GB and beyond.\n<\/p>\n

Starting in 2019, Sohn said, providers would have to offer bundled voice and data plans that meet Lifeline’s minimum service requirements.\n<\/p>\n

“We believe three years will be enough time for the market to adapt,” she said. “Voice service will continue to be an important part of Lifeline, but we also believe low-income Americans must have access to broadband as well.”\n<\/p>\n

The issue has been spearheaded by Commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel<\/a> and Mignon Clyburn<\/a>, both Democrats who argue that children desperately need Internet connections at home to do their homework as teachers increasingly assign lessons online.\n<\/p>\n

Currently, Lifeline only has a 33 percent utilization rate. Advocates of the program are trying to raise more awareness of the new service in hopes of getting more people to take advantage of the subsidized program.\n<\/p>\n

James Steyer, CEO and founder of Common Sense Media, a digital citizenship organization, praised the FCC’s move.<\/p>\n

“Too many people today \u2013 including millions of young students \u2013 still cannot access those essential tools at home, where so much learning takes place,” he said in a statement. “We applaud the FCC’s draft Lifeline order because it will take America a critical step closer to eliminating the gaping divide between today’s digital haves and have nots.”<\/p>\n

Reach the reporter at corinne.lestch@edscoop.com and follow her on Twitter @clestch<\/a> and @edscoop_news<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Federal Communications Commission is set to vote to expand Lifeline on March 31, which would help families get broadband subsidies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":134,"featured_media":3289,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"disable_grayscale_images":true,"grayscale_contrast":0,"sponsored_content":false,"display_author_bio":true,"story_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1849],"tags":[4,50,82,754,2125,2192,2272],"people":[],"special-report":[],"authors":[1853],"class_list":["post-3288","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-k-12","tag-education-it-news","tag-policy","tag-digital-equity","tag-lifeline","tag-gigi-sohn","tag-broadband","tag-federal-communications-commission-fcc","author-corinne-lestch"],"yoast_head":"\nFCC vote could help close 'homework gap' | EdScoop<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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