{"id":21442,"date":"2026-10-15T12:06:15","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T12:06:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.theck1.no\/?p=21442"},"modified":"2026-10-15T12:06:15","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T12:06:15","slug":"schools-across-us-protest-fcc-plan-that-could-disconnect-kids-from-internet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.theck1.no\/?p=21442","title":{"rendered":"Schools across US protest FCC plan that could disconnect kids from Internet"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"margin:0 0 1em; padding:0.6em 0.9em; border:1px solid #d0d7de; border-radius:6px; background:#f6f8fa; color:#444; font-size:0.9em;\"><strong>AI-rewritten:<\/strong> This is a summary of an article from Ars Technica, rewritten by AI (Qwen, running locally) to make it easier to read. The facts come from the original article &ndash; read it for the full story.<\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom:1em; color:#666; font-size:0.9em;\"><strong>Ars Technica &bull;<br \/>\n                    Jon Brodkin<br \/>\n                 &bull; October 14, 2026<\/strong><\/div>\n<hr\/>\n<p>Schools and libraries across the United States are urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to abandon its plan to end or restrict E-Rate, a program that provides discounts on internet services for educational institutions. The FCC&#8217;s proposal seeks to limit funding based on the argument that broadband access has improved significantly since 1996. However, many groups argue that the current infrastructure still leaves significant gaps in service and affordability.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>FCC Chairman Brendan Carr criticized school districts for increased screen time and claimed E-Rate expanded beyond its original purpose of providing basic internet access. He proposed limiting or ending the program to reflect today&#8217;s connectivity rates. In response, organizations like the National Association of Elementary School Principals stated they strongly support keeping the program operational. They argue that eliminating it would remove an essential source of connectivity assistance.<\/p>\n<p>Critics also highlight legal and practical concerns regarding FCC authority. The American Library Association noted that Congress mandates E-Rate, meaning the FCC cannot terminate it unilaterally. Furthermore, the group argued the FCC lacks the expertise to regulate screen time or determine educational outcomes, which should remain decisions made by local school boards.<\/p>\n<p>The program distributes over $2 billion annually and is funded by fees on phone companies. Supporters emphasize that without E-Rate, schools would face higher costs and delayed upgrades. While Carr&#8217;s proposal asks if continued funding aligns with Congress&#8217;s original objectives, opponents insist the need for reliable broadband remains critical for modern education.<\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-top:2em; padding:1em; border-left:4px solid #0073aa; background:#f5f7fa;\">\n<p style=\"margin:0;\"><strong>Source:<\/strong> Ars Technica &bull;<br \/>\n                    Jon Brodkin<br \/>\n                 &bull; October 14, 2026<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin:0.5em 0 0;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/arstechnica.com\/tech-policy\/2026\/10\/schools-libraries-plead-with-fcc-to-scrap-idea-of-killing-2b-broadband-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read the original article at Ars Technica &rarr;<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>AI-rewritten: This is a summary of an article from Ars Technica, rewritten by AI (Qwen, running locally) to make it easier to read. The facts come from the original article &ndash; read it for the full story. Ars Technica &bull; Jon Brodkin &bull; October 14, 2026 Schools and libraries across the United States are urging<\/p>\n<p class=\"more-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.theck1.no\/?p=21442\" class=\"themebutton2\">READ MORE<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21442","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-artificial-intelligence"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.theck1.no\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21442","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.theck1.no\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.theck1.no\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.theck1.no\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.theck1.no\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21442"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/news.theck1.no\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21442\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.theck1.no\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21442"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.theck1.no\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21442"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.theck1.no\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21442"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}