Top Highlights

Since 1996, few federal policies have helped more to encourage connectivity and lay the foundation for digital learning more than the E-Rate program. Originally established to help provide discounts to assist public and private schools as well as libraries obtain affordable telecommunications and Internet access. The program has helped shape the national landscape, starting in 1996 with from 14% of classrooms with Internet access and of those with access, 74% with Internet access used dial-up Internet access. By 2005, the E-rate program had helped successfully connected 94% of U.S. classrooms to the Internet.

But 17 years after the inception of the program, times have changed, and the needs of schools have changed, but E-Rate has largely stayed the same. A bipartisan consensus has formed around the need to reevaluate the goals and methods of this program, and the FCC has officially kicked off the Notice of Rule Making Process for modernizing E-Rate.

To provide background and a foundation for this discussion, we’ve compiled an E-rate Policy Brief (which can also be found in our Advocacy Toolkit) looking at the history of the Universal Service Fund and a Background on E-Rate and then continuing to look at The State of E-Rate in 2013. Slates of the tentative proposals are addressed in E-Rate 2.0 and then a broad overview of the issues impacting, not just E-Rate but promoting high quality Digital Learning are covered in Looking Ahead.

Bills Signed

New Hampshire

Bill: SB 48
Status: 07/24/2013 – S Signed by the Governor on 07/24/2013; Chapter 0263; Effective 09/22/2013
Relevant Elements: 4, 6, 7, 8
New Hampshire SB 48 was signed by Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan on July 24. The bill adds a purpose section to the existing chapter on school performance and accountability. The purpose section states a number of goals and guiding principles including:

• Creating a model that enables all students to progress towards college and career readiness.
• Ensuring the assessment system promotes and measures knowledge and skills that lead to college and career readiness.
• Allowing students to advance when they demonstrate mastery.
• Providing that the educator support system should promote the capacity of educators to deeply engage students in rigorous learning.
• Creating competency-based strategies that provide flexibility in the way that credit can be awarded and provide students with personalized learning including those that are offered online or in a blended setting.

It would also require schools to meet statewide improvement and assessment measures, attendance rates, and graduation percentages, as determined by the Board of Education. It would also change the references to schools in need of improvement to priority schools and focus schools.

State Updates

New Hampshire

Bill: SB 82
Status: 08/07/2013 – H Retained Bill – Subcommittee Work Session: 8/13/2013 1:00 PM LOB 207
Relevant Elements: 4, 6, 7, 9
New Hampshire SB 82, sponsored by Sen. Nancy Stiles, R-Hampton, is scheduled for a work session in the House Education Committee on August 13. It would establish a commission for the purpose of identifying strategies needed for developing and implementing competency-based public education. The commission would:

• Create a report defining the development and implementation of a competency-based public education system based on each student attaining mastery of required competencies regardless of the learning environment.
• Identify multiple models and strategies of financing a competency-based public education.
• Identify the roles educators will play in a competency-based public education system.
• Identify potential barriers to successfully implanting a competency-based system.
• Make recommendations for legislation that will facilitate the implementation of a competency-based system.
• Not suggest or identify any new tax source to fund the commission’s recommendation.