[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 20 (Tuesday, February 9, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E173]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   INTRODUCTION OF THE E-RATE 2.0 ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. EDWARD J. MARKEY

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 9, 2010

  Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts. Madam Speaker, I rise to introduce the 
E-Rate 2.0 Act, an important advancement in the effort to update the 
successful E-Rate program for the 21st century. I am pleased to 
introduce this bill with my colleagues Representative Lois Capps (D-CA) 
and Representative Doris Matsui (D-CA).
  While the U.S. lags behind other countries in several key broadband 
categories such as adoption rates, there is one area where our country 
leads: Internet connections to classrooms. Our leadership position in 
this important area can be traced back to the 1996 Telecommunications 
Act, which created the education rate--or ``E-Rate''--program. I was 
proud to be the lead author in the House of the legislation creating 
the E-Rate program. At the time the 1996 bill was enacted, only 14 
percent of K-12 classrooms had Internet access, compared with more than 
95 percent today.
  Over the past 14 years, the E-Rate program has helped schools around 
the country connect to the Internet and other telecommunications 
services, enabling students to access a vast universe of educational 
information, communicate with other students around the world, and 
capitalize on opportunities that otherwise would be out of reach.
  With the E-Rate's mission of connecting classrooms to the Internet 
largely fulfilled, now is the time for an updated E-Rate program--an 
``E-Rate 2.0''--to move the program into the 21st century. I have 
introduced the E-Rate 2.0 Act, which directs the FCC to implement three 
vital pilot programs:
  The first pilot program narrows the digital divide through the 
distribution of vouchers to enable low-income students to purchase 
residential broadband service.
  The second utilizes a competitive grant program to extend funding for 
broadband equipment and services to selected community colleges and 
head start facilities that best demonstrate need and incorporation of 
broadband use in their educational mission.
  The third enables certain E-Rate applicants serving particularly low-
income students to apply for significantly discounted services and 
technologies for the use of e-books
  The bill also would provide for an inflation adjustment to the 
current $2.25 billion cap on the E-Rate program, so funding would 
increase with inflation. The bill also calls for the streamlining of 
the application process to improve the ease and accessibility of the 
application process.
  As the scope of technology has expanded, the E-Rate program needs to 
keep pace. I am pleased to introduce the E-Rate 2.0 program today and 
look forward to its consideration in the future.
  I urge my colleagues to join in cosponsoring this legislation.

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