WASHINGTON – The top officers at more than 40 companies are asking the Federal Communications Commission to act quickly to help get more high-speed Internet into America’s classrooms.
The FCC is weighing changes to a program called E-rate that provides discounts to help schools with telecommunications and Internet access. A majority of schools have Internet capabilities that are slow or isolated to front offices, making the use of digital programs and online learning difficult.
In his State of the Union address, Obama reiterated his goal of getting fast Internet into nearly every school in four years.
A copy of the letter was released by the non-profit group EducationSuperHighway. It was signed by the chief officers of companies such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Netflix and Shutterfly and encourages the FCC to “boldly act.”
