Earlier this month, the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) released their report, The Broadband Imperative II: Equitable Access for Learning. The post Two Edthena Partners Featured in National Broadband Imperative Report appeared first on the Edthena blog. MORE

The FCC has modernized and reformed its Lifeline program to help low-income consumers afford Internet access. Techlearning Resources MORE

These are critical questions, and we are committed to ensuring that when it comes to our work, the answers around our use of broadband data are clear. For school districts that lack adequate broadband, transparent, accurate data can be incredibly powerful. MORE

By Emily Ann Brown, Education Daily ® A new report from the State Educational Technology Directors Association finds that state education technology leaders are using a variety of models and paths to provide high-speed broadband access for all LEAs and schools. State K-12 Broadband Leadership: Driving Connectivity and Access was commissioned by SETDA and Common Sense Kids Action. MORE

A new report urges state leaders to help all school districts access high-speed school broadband. Broadband affordability: Districts that do meet the 100 kpbs per student minimum pay an average cost of $5.07 Broadband and internet internet IT Newsletter News Top News MORE

President Trump recently created two executive orders that aim to increase access and opportunities to rural communities by expanding and deploying broadband. MORE

By Emily Ann Brown, Education Daily® At the State Educational Technology Directors Association 2017 Leadership Summit, a number of E-rate coordinators and technology directors agreed that rural schools are falling behind their more urban and suburban counterparts in providing broadband access and personalized learning to K-12 students. More … Uncategorized broadband infrastructure high-speed broadband Internet access personalized learning MORE

The results show that school leaders place a high priority on cyber security and broadband / network capacity. Top findings from the report: Cyber security and broadband / network capacity are the top priorities for IT leaders. MORE

All state districts will have access to high-speed broadband connections. Counties across the state have worked to increase their broadband capacity as online assessments, video resources, and mobile devices have become more prevalent in schools. MORE

On December 14, the Federal Communications Commission will vote, on a Declaratory Report and Order, and a second Order that together will eliminate the agency’s Net Neutrality regulations. MORE

Updates to the school broadband comparison tool make finding what neighboring and similar school districts are paying for broadband services even easier. MORE

Cost remains the biggest hurdle for schools trying to increase broadband connectivity speeds for students, according to CoSN’s 2017 Annual Infrastructure Survey. Next page: A positive trend in broadband costs. IT Management Networking & Broadband News MORE

Benjamin Herold of Education Week has put together a real cracker of a series on the challenges of ensuring school broadband access in rural communities – and how E-rate (pre- and post-modernization) is helping to address the situation. Blog Broadband Equity E-rate FCC Rural schools MORE

subsidy to broadband, wireless, or a bundled voice and internet package. internet IT Newsletter Policy broadband digital digital divide divide FCC grant help high-speed internet internet access million wireless MORE

Funding Leadership Management Mobile Broadband Mobility Wi-FiBy EdTech Staff What K–12 schools and districts need to know about changes to the E-Rate program. MORE

President Trump recently created two executive orders that aim to increase access and opportunities to rural communities by expanding and deploying broadband. MORE

A recent Mobile Beacon report analyzing mobile broadband usage by non-profit organizations, including schools, finds that schools utilizing Mobile Beacon’s 4G LTE internet service indicate that the ability to supplement and/or extend existing school networks is the greatest benefit of the service. MORE

By Emily Ann Brown, Education Daily® A hearing held by the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Financial Service and General Government Subcommittee panel to discuss the Federal Communications Commission’s FY 2018 budget request turned quickly from budgetary matters to the agency’s plans to expand high-speed broadband. More… Uncategorized broadband infrastructure broadband networks funding sources STEM MORE

Connecting our nation’s schools, libraries, health clinics and other community anchor institutions (CAIs) to next generation high-speed broadband is an important national priority. In an effort to provide federal, state and local leaders with policy options to ensure that all anchor institutions have high-speed connections to the internet, the SHLB Coalition today is releasing “ Connecting Anchor Institutions: A Broadband Action Plan.”. MORE

Over the weekend I was traveling through rural southern Virginia and Tennessee and saw signs encouraging law makers to consider legislation "encouraging" providers to expand broadband networks and heard a story out of southern Kentucky about students in distance learning programs were struggling because of the lack of access to high-speed Internet. The FCC recently unveiled the National Broadband Plan which aims to bring high-speed Internet into every home and school in the country. MORE

CoSN 2018: Broadband and Cybersecurity Are Top IT Concerns. Cybersecurity and broadband/network capacity are tied for the top priorities for IT leaders in 2018, while budget constraints were marked as one of the most pressing challenges for a fourth straight year. Data-driven instruction and decision-making broke into the top three this year, joining broadband and network security, which jumped one place to the top spot, and cybersecurity, which jumped two spots to become No. MORE

Clearly very passionate about his cause, Brechner argued that not only should is access to broadband absolutely essential for education, in today's connected world, it should also be considered a human right. Leeds Sugata Mitra #altc2011 broadband ALT-C Miguel Brechner MORE

But Bredder can’t give students the tool he considers most indispensable to 21st-century learning — broadband internet beyond school walls. They’re building their own countywide broadband network. MORE

Corporate program aims to leverage gigabit broadband speeds to boost personalized learning. Fifteen K-12 school districts in Ohio will receive ultra-fast gigabit broadband speeds in an effort to personalize instruction for students. MORE

The provision allows a state to provide eligible schools and libraries with funding for special construction charges to deploy broadband networks. More… Uncategorized broadband infrastructure broadband networks E-Rate telecommunications MORE

A free tool from nonprofit EducationSuperHighway is intended to help district technology leaders compare broadband and connectivity information with other districts nearby and across the nation. MORE

Frank Smith For a frightening two weeks in February, Idaho public schools were scrambling to secure their own broadband connections after a state judge pulled the plug on nearly 200 schools’ Internet service provider over a contract dispute. MORE

As digital tools play an increasingly larger role in learning, states are targeting school broadband access for all students. Working with state leaders is a key factor in pushing these school broadband partnerships to success, said EducationSuperHighway founder and CEO Evan Marwell. MORE

The post New Law Nixing Broadband Privacy Protections Stirs K-12 Fears appeared first on Market Brief. Marketplace K-12 broadband Data Privacy FCC Federal Policy internet service providersA new signed by President Trump that scales back privacy regulations on internet service providers could undermine safeguards for K-12 schools, critics say. MORE

Compare & Connect K-12, a free website that allows educators to compare how much they pay for broadband services against neighboring districts' costs, was launched by EducationSuperhighway. Marketplace K-12 bandwidth broadband E-rate EducationSuperhighway price transparency MORE

States take critical look at broadband infrastructure and its capacity to support 21st-century learning. As school broadband access becomes critical for student success, states are beginning to evaluate their broadband infrastructure to determine if upgrades and modernization are necessary. MORE

Organized by AMERIND Critical Infrastructure Manager Kimball Sekaquaptewa, this fiber build project will ultimately help Native American students in these Pueblos access high-speed broadband and gain essential skills through the power of technology. MORE

The FCC has halted a policy that would allow some companies to provide subsidized broadband to low-income households, with the agency's new chair saying he wants to ensure the program is free of waste, first. The post FCC Revokes Decision Allowing Companies to Provide Low-Income Families With Subsidized Broadband appeared first on Market Brief. Marketplace K-12 Broadband/Web Access business Federal Communications Commission (FCC MORE

Novatel Wireless, Kajeet launch pilot project for educational broadband access. Broadband and internet IT Management IT Newsletter News Top News MORE

By Emily Ann Brown, Education Daily® State Educational Technology Directors Association encourages district leaders and IT directors to consider a flexible approach in designing broadband networks in order to meet growing learning demands. Such design is a key topic of SETDA’s recently updated The Broadband Imperative II: Equitable Access for Learning report. MORE

A critical step to realizing the full potential of technology for underserved adult learners, and by extension their families, involves looking more deeply into equity of access as well as why this population often has underutilized available broadband technology. Digital Promise partnered with the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy to write a response to the public call for comments to help frame the National Broadband Research Agenda. MORE

took bipartisan action to upgrade their schools in 2016, with 5 states connecting 100 percent of their students to high-speed broadband. “It’s Next page: Better broadband affordability). Digital Learning and Tools IT Management IT Newsletter Networking & Broadband News MORE

By Emily Ann Brown, Education Daily® A recently released report by the State Educational Technology Directors Association reiterates high-speed broadband goals that were established in 2012, and introduces new benchmarks through SY 2020 that experts believe will help the K-12 sector keep pace with digital learning initiatives. More… Uncategorized digital learning high-speed broadband K-12 WAN recommendations wireless infrastructure MORE

By David Hutchins CoSN report highlights the challenges preventing districts from ensuring digital equity. Budgeting Funding Investment Management Networking MORE

In a July 2017 statement , FCC Chairman Ajit Pai designated August as Rural Broadband Month at the agency. FOUR WAYS TO IMPROVE RURAL BROADBAND ACCESS. See how your district’s broadband pricing compares to what districts in your area are paying. MORE