NASBE

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However, the acquisition of hardware is not the only
infrastructure issue challenging districts’ and schools
ability to effectively integrate technology into classrooms.
The every-increasing need forbandwidth also
challenges the education technology infrastructure
of states and districts. The use of digital instructional
materials, software, apps, and social media in meaningful
and signifi cant ways all require varying levels of
bandwidth to work effectively and seamlessly. More
than ever, bandwidth is the number one limiting factor
for schools that attempt to use engaging educational
content and communications through the web. Almost
80 percent of schools that receive Federal E-Rate funding
for broadband say their Internet connection does
not fully meet their needs. 108 Almost half of the E-Rate
funded schools have an Internet connection of 3 megabits
per second (Mbps) or less. 109 To put this in perspective,
3 Mbps is slightly below the FCC’s recommended
bandwidth for one residential household in the National
Broadband Plan. 110 These speeds could barely support
e-mail functionality for 10 teachers in a school, let alone
provide the bandwidth for rich and engaging multimedia
educational content for students.
What Is E-rate and CIPA?
Born in Another Time
The Program of the Universal Service Fund, commonly known as E-rate, provides more than $2.25 billion annually
to support schools’ and libraries’ acquisi� on of computers and connec� on of school computers to the
Internet at a reduced cost. Schools receive a discount on equipment and services depending on the enrollments
of free- and reduced-lunch students and whether the school is in an urban or rural se� ng.
In 2000, Congress enacted the Children’s Internet Protec� on Act (CIPA) that required any school that receives
E-rate funding for compu� ng to implement fi lters that block access to pictures that are obscene, child
pornography, or harmful to minors. The law also requires schools to adopt an Internet safety policy that addresses
access by minors to inappropriate materials, the safety and security of minors when using e-mail and
chat on E-rate funded devices, and unauthorized access by minors on these devices.
In 2010, policies regarding E-rate were changed to allow schools and libraries to use these funds to bring
high-speed broadband to the community and to allow communi� es to use the broadband services outside
of school hours. As states con� nue developing a robust educa� on technology infrastructure, they should
consider examining how districts are using E-rate funding and this provision to help bring broadband access
to the Internet to the communi� es surrounding schools a� er the school day ends.
Sources: U.S. Department of Educa� on, “E-Rate Program” (Washington, D.C., Last Modifi ed August 12, 2008),
www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oii/nonpublic/erate.html; Federal Communica� ons Commission, “Children’s Internet Protec� on
Act – FCC Consumer Facts” (Washington, D.C., Accessed July 17, 2012), transition.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/cipa.pdf; and
Federal Communica� ons Commission, Seventh Broadband Progress Report to Congress (Washington, D.C.,
May 20, 2011), 8, hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-11-78A1.pdf.
To address these issues, a number of states, including
Maine and Utah, have formed public partnerships with
various departments and organizations to develop costeffective
broadband connections for schools across the
entire state. For example, NetworkMaine is a consortium
of the state department of education, library, offi ce
of information technology, and university system dedicated
to providing broadband connectivity to over 900
schools and libraries in the state at no cost. 111 In Utah,
a partnership among education institutions and local
telecommunications providers is helping connect the
entire state. Almost 90 percent of K-12 schools directly
or indirectly connect to the Internet via the partnership’s
high-speed network that links all colleges and
universities in the state. 112 These partnerships illustrate
the collective capacity of public organizations to create
the kind of education technology infrastructure necessary
to connect students to immersive digital content
that can assist in their learning.
The chart on page 39 provides some common Internet
activities that support student learning and the amount
of bandwidth needed per user to seamlessly interact with