Snap a pic of what the E-rate looks like in your school or library
- More funding is needed for Internet access in schools and libraries.
- A petition is circulating asking the FFC to increase the E-rate program.
- A picture can help “put a face” on EdTech and the E-rate program.
- Share your photo on Twitter or Facebook with the hashtag #EdTechPhoto
We’ve all heard the phrase that a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, I’m proposing a new phrase: a picture is worth $2.25 billion. Let me explain.
When we talk about instructional technology and E-rate funding, we use words that can sound very dry and clinical. However, the results are quite the opposite. Student lives are changed and schools are positively impacted!
Currently, there is a movement afoot calling on the FCC to allocate more funding for the E-rate program. Frankly, it is impossible for the E-rate regulators to go out and experience all the ways the funds are being used, or to witness firsthand what the impact of the E-rate is. Therefore, we are asking you to help us bring that information to them in the form of a picture. Think of it as a reverse virtual tour.
Please snap a pic of what the educational technology looks like in your school or library and share it with us on Twitter at @FFL or via our Facebook page. Be sure to use the #EdTechPhoto hashtag!
As we share photos, it will help the FCC get a better sense of the true impact of the E-rate program and the growing need for more support. Have you ever wondered what the E-rate program really looks like? Please share your pictures and all of us together can get a glimpse of what the E-rate is doing throughout the country.
About the petition
Internet access and telecommunications services play an important role in supporting students and teachers. Demand for these services is increasing, but school budgets are getting tighter and tighter. The primary federal source that helps schools pay for their Internet access is the E-rate program. But, the E-rate program is funded at levels set in 1997, long before the current Internet-revolution took place.
More E-rate support is desperately needed. Fortunately, there are other funding sources at the FCC that could be set aside to support the E-rate program. No new taxes are necessary in order to get more funding for student Internet access.
If you haven’t joined yet, please sign the petition and learn more about the movement to increase E-rate funding.
