A bipartisan group of House lawmakers asked the...
A bipartisan group of House lawmakers asked the FCC to revamp the E-rate program. They sent a letter Monday signed by 46, 38 belonging to the New Democrat Coalition. “Focus E-rate on broadband services, Wi-Fi updates, and filling the infrastructure…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Export Compliance Daily combines U.S. export control news, foreign border import regulation and policy developments into a single daily information service that reliably informs its trade professional readers about important current issues affecting their operations.
gap, with continued support for connectivity services, to ensure universal access to the most up to date technology” and ensure E-rate participants pay for “the best service at the lowest price” through competitive Internet service offerings and purchaser coordination, the lawmakers urged. They also back increasing E-rate’s transparency, accountability and funding stability, with an application process that’s simplified and streamlined. The New Democrat Coalition helped drive the letter forward, a Democratic aide familiar with the coalition’s effort told us. Coalition Chairman Ron Kind, D-Wis., and member Jared Polis, D-Colo., spearheaded the letter within the coalition, the aide said. He said Reps. Charlie Dent, R-Pa., and Chris Gibson, R-N.Y., were “instrumental” in gathering Republican signatures. Expect the letter to be the first step in a broader New Democrat Coalition digital literacy focus, the aide said, citing strong coalition member interest since a presentation on the relevant data a few months back.