NEA Urges Full Funding for 'E-Rate'

Bob Chase, president of the National Education Association (NEA), predicted an "explosion of learning" among teachers and students if the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Congress stand up to the telecommunications companies and stand by their commitment to full funding for the "E-Rate" program.

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 created the E-Rate (education rate) program, which will provide $2.25 billion in annual discounts for Internet access, distance-learning, and other educational technology for schools and libraries. Those discounts will range from 20 to 90 percent.

"The demand for these discounts is overwhelming," said Chase. "Clearly, schools and libraries are eager to connect students, teachers, and citizens to the future. But we're troubled by indications that telecommunications companies may be undermining the E-Rate," Chase said.

Some of those companies -- such as AT&T, MCI, and Sprint -- have been blaming the E-Rate for higher costs, absolving themselves of responsibility for passing along those costs on consumer phone bills. Others -- Southwest Bell, BellSouth, and GTE -- have filed a lawsuit that threatens to eviscerate the program.

The E-Rate is funded by the telecommunications industry, which is expected to recoup its contributions through lower local access charges (included in the 1996 Act) and expanded market share, as schools and libraries expand their telecommunications infrastructure under the program.

Schools, libraries and entire communities across America have already made substantial investments in educational technology and training in anticipation of receiving E-Rate discounts. More than 30,000 completed applications -- totaling $2.02 billion in grants -- have already been received by the Schools and Libraries Corporation, the independent non-profit organization set up by the FCC to administer the E-Rate program.

"Students, teachers, and average Americans will all benefit from the increased knowledge that the E-Rate will make available to them," Chase said. "The demand for E-Rate service is a clear message to the FCC and Congress that they should not waver in their commitment to full funding for this vital investment in the nation's educational future. In the meantime, we call on the telecommunications companies to put children first, and to cease their efforts to undermine the E-Rate program."

Citing a recent survey by Quality Education Data (QED), a Denver-based market research firm specializing in education trends, Chase said that teachers and students find the Internet a uniquely valuable source of facts and information. QED found that 65 percent of teachers surveyed use the Internet for their work. The most popular uses were for research, searching for curriculum material, professional development, and developing lesson plans.

"Teachers and students are hungry for information, and they need access to the latest in educational technology to obtain it," said NEA President Bob Chase. "The Internet is the key to new universes of information for students of all ages. It's also a tremendously helpful tool to teachers who want to be the very best they can be at their profession. The E-Rate will lead to an explosion of learning in the nation's classrooms, by teachers and students alike."

Posted May 8, 1998