CoSN Decries FCC Broadband Decision

Today’s FCC decision to revise Educational Broadband Service rules drew immediate criticism from one major education technology advocacy group.

CoSN, the Consortium for School Networking, released a statement today characterizing the decision as a loss for teachers and students.

“We are deeply disappointed by the FCC’s decision today. After failing for 20 years to help school districts acquire new educational broadband service licenses, the FCC’s vote is a loss for teachers and students. This is especially true for learners in rural communities who are consistently passed over in favor of purely commercial interests. Today’s action continues that unfortunate trend,” said CEO Keith Krueger.

He continued: “Given the strong support for maintaining the band’s educational focus — from the Department of Education to Members of Congress — this outcome is unproductive and inconsistent with the public’s interest.”

The Educational Broadband Service was designed to provide rural districts with improved connectivity using a portion of the 2.5 GHz spectrum. Under the new rule, channels within the 2.5 GHz spectrum previously reserved for the Educational Broadband Service will be opened up for commercial, non-educational purposes.

See our related story for more details.

About the Author

David Nagel is the former editorial director of 1105 Media's Education Group and editor-in-chief of THE Journal, STEAM Universe, and Spaces4Learning. A 30-year publishing veteran, Nagel has led or contributed to dozens of technology, art, marketing, media, and business publications.

He can be reached at [email protected]. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrnagel/ .


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