Statement on FCC Passage of E-Rate Modernization Plan

Leading Education by Advancing Digital (LEAD) Commission praised the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for its passage of updates to the E-Rate program. (Common Sense Media Founder and CEO Jim Steyer is a LEAD Commission co-chair.)

"The bipartisan LEAD Commission commends Chairman Wheeler and the FCC for passing measures to modernize the E-Rate program. Connecting schools and libraries to high-speed Internet access and reliable Wi-Fi is essential to America's prosperity and to achieve our goal of providing at least 99 percent of students across the country with high-speed broadband by 2018. Students nationwide — regardless of zip code — need high capacity broadband access to compete in an increasingly digital and global economy. Today's vote is a solid first step, and the timing will allow the new rules to take effect before the next round of E-Rate funding.

"The LEAD Commission is proud to be a part of the movement to update and appropriately fund the E-Rate program, which has been supported by business executives, education organizations, libraries, ed tech innovators, and also bipartisan government leaders at all levels. We look forward to working with the FCC on the implementation of these needed updates to ensure the necessary steps of the transformation are effective and expedited so that America leaves no student behind."

About LEAD Commission

Answering a challenge from the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Education, the Leading Education by Advancing Digital (LEAD) Commission was established to determine how technology can help transform education in America. The Commission is co-chaired by Lee Bollinger (President of Columbia University), Jim Coulter (Co-Founder of TPG Capital), Margaret Spellings (Former Secretary of Education) and Jim Steyer (Founder and CEO of Common Sense Media).