Education groups back $2 billion Wi-Fi plan

http://thehill.com/policy/technology/211468-education-groups-back-wheelers-2b-wi-fi-plan

Key Senate Dems push back on FCC’s Wi-Fi plan
http://thehill.com/policy/technology/211638-key-senate-dems-push-back-on-fccs-wi-fi-plan

The two related articles talk about a proposal by the Federal Communications Commission to reform the E-Rate funding program. The program, which allocates billions of dollars to schools and libraries, funds technological improvements, particularly in internet connectivity. The proposed shifts focus on modernizing the application process to make it easier and more transparent, and also to shift the funding focus toward having Wi-Fi in all schools over the next few years. The proposals have had a mixed response in educational groups. Most are in favor of the modernization process. At issue is the focus on Wi-Fi; some groups including some U.S. Senate Democrats see the focus on Wi-Fi as having unintended consequences. They say that by requiring a large portion of the budget to go to Wi-Fi, funding for basic connectivity in less-populated rural areas may get swept aside while more federal dollars go to making already good systems even better.