In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, at least 124,000 public and private schools have closed, affecting over 55 million students. As districts work to provide online learning opportunities for their students, many students will face challenges completing this new course work because of inadequate home internet access.  According to data from the National Center for Education Statistics, 14 percent of children had no internet access at home in 2017, the most recent year available. Moreover, major equity gaps exist—12 percent of White students had no internet access at home, compared to nearly 20 percent of Black and Latino students and 37 percent of Native students.

The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) E-rate program helps offset the cost of internet access in schools and libraries. We ask for your assistance to encourage the FCC to allow E-rate to fund home internet access for students as well. With your support, this policy change can impact educational equity dramatically for millions of students.