FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Statement from U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan on FCC Action to Connect More Students to High-Speed Internet
"I want to thank the FCC Commissioners for accepting the President's challenge to bring America's classrooms into the modern age with high-speed Internet. Their vote today marks a first step in a five-year effort that will have enormous benefits for students, teachers and families, and for our national competitiveness.
"Today, the bandwidth of the typical American school is far too low to support today's learning technologies and demands. Thanks to the ConnectED effort, teachers will have new tools to tailor learning to students' individual needs. Schools will begin to move beyond fill-in-the-bubble tests. Students—especially those in rural and geographically-isolated communities—will have access to a previously-unattainable world of resources, experts, and experiences. And families will be more closely connected with their children's schools and schoolwork.
"The U.S. once led the world in connecting our schools to the Internet, but our strongest international competitors are surging ahead of us because they know that giving students and teachers the right tools is vital to their economic strength. It will take a lot of work by everyone to restore U.S. leadership and make good on the ConnectED promise: to bring the fastest Internet to nearly every student in America, and to put affordable devices in our students' hands. The FCC's action today starts us down that path. For that, the Commissioners deserve everyone's thanks."
