[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 175 (Tuesday, December 6, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H7200-H7201]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 EXPRESSING SENSE OF HOUSE THAT ACCESS TO DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS TOOLS 
             AND CONNECTIVITY IS NECESSARY TO PREPARE YOUTH

  Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 939) expressing the sense of the House of 
Representatives that access to digital communications tools and 
connectivity is necessary to prepare youth in the United States to 
compete in the 21st century economy.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 939

       Whereas the United States should lead the world in 
     providing high-quality education and opportunities to its 
     citizens;
       Whereas digital skills are essential for education and 
     preparing citizens for the economy of the future;
       Whereas, on a daily basis, teachers across the country 
     assign homework that requires Internet access to be 
     completed;
       Whereas there are 5,000,000 households with school-age 
     children in the United States that do not have high-speed 
     Internet access at home and fall into what is known as the 
     ``homework gap'';
       Whereas a disproportionate number of students without high-
     speed Internet access at home reside in low-income and 
     minority households;
       Whereas students and families in rural areas face 
     additional challenges when homework requires Internet access 
     that is out of reach;
       Whereas every student deserves an opportunity at 21st 
     century success;
       Whereas participation in the classroom can be improved when 
     all students are equipped with the tools to complete their 
     homework;
       Whereas educators can increase the use of cutting-edge 
     education technology and digital learning resources when 
     those resources

[[Page H7201]]

     remain accessible during out-of-school hours;
       Whereas data show that students have received lower grades 
     and been unable to complete their assignments because of 
     their lack of Internet access at home;
       Whereas improved student access to postsecondary education 
     and workforce opportunities can be made possible by 
     increasing the ability of students to apply for employment, 
     postsecondary education, and financial aid opportunities;
       Whereas leaders in the public and private sectors have 
     recognized that the homework gap is an issue of national 
     importance and partnered to find cooperative solutions to 
     address it; and
       Whereas instilling digital skills and the knowledge to 
     succeed in the 21st century economy in the Nation's students 
     is vital to the Nation's global competitiveness: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of 
     Representatives that access to digital communications tools 
     and connectivity is necessary to prepare youth in the United 
     States to compete in the 21st century economy.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Ohio (Mr. Latta) and the gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Welch) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio.


                             General Leave

  Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
insert extraneous materials in the Record on the resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Ohio?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, again, I am pleased to support another resolution from 
our colleagues from across the aisle.
  Broadband and the Internet have become nearly indispensable parts of 
our 21st century economy. Whether it is bringing the world's 
information to your fingertips or connecting you to people around the 
world, it is increasingly clear that improved access to the Internet is 
a vital part of our digital future, and particularly so for our 
Nation's children.
  This resolution affirms the commitment of the House of 
Representatives to ensuring all Americans, particularly students, have 
the tools they need to succeed. As members of the Subcommittee on 
Communications and Technology, Democrats and Republicans alike firmly 
espouse the goal of bringing broadband access to all children of the 
United States.
  I thank the gentleman from Vermont for shining a light on this 
important issue, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H. Res. 
939.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. WELCH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, here is the situation: our kids are going to school, 
they are getting homework, and 70 percent of the teachers assign 
homework that presumes access to the Internet, but many of our kids 
don't have access to the Internet.
  About 5 million, or one-third of households with school age children 
in the U.S., lack a high-speed connection at home. That is the 
``homework gap.'' It creates a lot of anxiety, as well as some 
inability to get the homework done. And the anxiety for these kids is 
that they go home, they have got an assignment, they want to do it, and 
they don't have the tools. It puts enormous pressure on the parents.
  We have seen some reports where, in order to address this outside of 
the school, they will park buses that have high-speed Internet access, 
and the parents will bring the kids back to school and sit outside 
while the kids sit on the bus where they have the homework connection.
  That is asking a lot of our parents, it is asking a lot of our kids, 
and this resolution is just acknowledging what I think we all know is 
the obvious. That is, if kids are going to have a shot at getting 
ahead, if they are going to be able to do their homework, we have got 
to get that Internet access out in the area so we don't have 5 million 
kids without it.

                              {time}  1315

  It is such a real problem when you get into the rural areas, and that 
is where Mr. Latta and I know that, and the reason is because extending 
the broadband out into the rural areas is economically more of a 
challenge for some of our companies.
  We believe that, ultimately, we have got to have Internet access, 
much like we did with electricity, where we make a policy that says we 
are getting that broadband to the last mile. This resolution 
demonstrates an ongoing bipartisan commitment to achieve that goal. I 
know, Mr. Speaker, you have a lot of rural areas in your district as 
well.
  I urge my colleagues to support this, and I yield back the balance of 
my time.
  Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, again, I thank the gentleman from Vermont. I 
know we have worked for well over a year now on rural issues on the 
committee, and I appreciate his leadership on that. I also thank the 
gentleman for working across the aisle with us to highlight this 
important need.
  American students must have every tool to prepare themselves for an 
increasingly competitive future, and I hope that my colleagues will 
join me in support of this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this 
resolution, which would express the sense of the House of 
Representatives that students everywhere should have access to digital 
tools that will help to further their education in the 21st century 
economy.
  This resolution expresses the sense of the House that the United 
States should be leading the world in proving the digital tools 
necessary to succeed and create new opportunities.
  Nearly 5 million households in the United States do not have high-
speed internet, meaning those households don't have access to an 
increasingly important aspect of a modern education.
  By increasing access to millions of children around the country, we 
take a step forward in promoting a 21st century education.
  This would also improve the global competitiveness of the United 
States as countries around the world increasingly promote broadband 
access in their educational systems.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues to expand possibilities 
for children and to create an environment in which we can incentivize 
growth and new opportunities.
  I thank the Energy and Commerce Committee and Congressman Welch for 
their hard work and diligence on this issue.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Latta) that the House suspend the rules and 
agree to the resolution, H. Res. 939.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

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