Earlier today President Obama talked about the internet, students and download speeds. The President felt that faster Internet connections are too important to education and must be supplied to all that need it.
The President set forth a directive so that 99% of students will have high-speed broadband access within the next five years. “We are living in a digital age, and to help our students get ahead, we must make sure they have access to cutting-edge technology,” Obama said in a statement published by the White House.
“Basic Internet access is no longer sufficient, and the FCC has been taking a hard look at ways to further modernize the E-Rate program to bring robust broadband to schools and libraries, especially those in low income and rural communities,” said FCC acting chairwoman Mignon Clyburn in a statement sent to the press.
Since then AT&T, one of the nations leading internet providers and network providers gave a response to the President’s address. The company issued this statement earlier this evening:
“We’re excited about the President’s proposals. AT&T has been very involved in tackling problems confronting our educational system, and we believe ensuring every child has access to robust broadband connections in their school would be a major step. AT&T is ready to do its part to help make this vision a reality”.
“As the President noted, the current e-Rate system, and the Universal Service Fund on which it depends, must be modernized for this plan to work. The FCC has taken significant steps toward this, but much more needs to be done. In particular, the USF contribution methodology must be updated to encompass more than the legacy services assessed today as we transition to the all-IP communications networks of tomorrow. In addition, the very cumbersome rules surrounding the current e-Rate program simply must be streamlined and made more efficient. We are convinced this can be done while still ensuring that the funds are properly collected and spent.”
