Warner & Kaine join letter supporting internet expansion to students and educators

U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine joined a letter led by Senators Ed Markey (D-MA) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Representative Grace Meng (D-NY-6) in support of the Federal Communications Commission’s proposal to expand the E-Rate program, which helps schools and libraries access affordable broadband.

Under the proposal, the E-Rate program would be updated to allow schools and libraries to loan Wi-Fi hotspots to students and educators. In their letter, the lawmakers call for the expansion and modernization of the E-Rate hotspot program to help reduce educational disparities and ensure that all students can access the internet. 
 
The lawmakers wrote, “[We] are excited that the Commission has proposed to update the E-
Rate program to allow schools and libraries to provide Wi-Fi hotspots and wireless internet
services to students and educators. This proposal properly recognizes that learning now extends
beyond the physical premises of school buildings.”
 
The lawmakers continued, “With millions of students at risk of losing internet access at home,
we are glad to see the FCC exercising this authority and modernizing the E-Rate program, and
we encourage the Commission to provide schools and libraries with the flexibility to adapt their
programs to local conditions while continuing to effectively guard against fraud and waste.” 
 
Students who lack internet access at home face significant disadvantages in school, and a
recent study found they receive lower grades than their classmates. Expanding the E-Rate
program will build on the progress made through the Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF),
which Warner and Kaine helped pass as part of the American Rescue Plan (ARP), to provide
devices and connectivity for students and educators at home. With the ECF set to expire at the
end of this year and the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) set to run out of funding soon,
expanding the E-Rate program would also help prevent many students from losing internet
access.
 
Joining Warner, Kaine, Markey, Van Hollen, and Meng on the letter in the Senate are
Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory
Booker (D-NJ), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Laphonza Butler (D-CA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL),
Dick Durbin (D-IL), John Fetterman (D-PA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Martin Heinrich (D-
NM), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN),
Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Bernie
Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Elizabeth
Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR). 
 
Warner – one of the principal authors of the ACP – and Kaine have long fought to expand access
to broadband. The senators urged congressional leadership to extend funding for the ACP,
which was created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. They also announced nearly $1.5 billion
in federal funding to expand high-speed internet through the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program, which was also made possible by the BIL. They’ve introduced bipartisan legislation to ensure that funding for broadband deployment from the BIL and the ARP, will not be considered taxable income.