Andre Yoskowitz
12 Jul 2014 23:40
The FCC has approved a new $2 billion fund that will help schools build school-wide Wi-Fi networks.
"Because of what we do today, 10 million kids will be connected next year who otherwise wouldn't. That's something to be proud of," FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said.
The funds are guaranteed for the next two years with the "assumption" that funding for the networks will be in place in the future. No guarantees, however.
FCC's Wheeler was asked why the size of the program was not expanded, in which he responded that it was not prudent to just throw money at a program that had been started in the 1990s.
"I hope that going forward we will have the courage to fix this," Democratic FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel added. "I hope going forward we will be bold. Because this is not just a matter of getting schools and libraries connected -- it's a matter of our global competitiveness."
The $2 billion will come from a combination of unused funds and administrative cost-cutting, added the FCC.
Source:
Re/code