A recent study on the "digital divide" among high school students shows improving device access, but persistent barriers for historically underprivileged populations.
The Federal Communications Commission has officially approved an expansion of the E-Rate program that will allow schools and libraries to utilize E-Rate resources to loan out WiFi hotspots to students, school staff, and library patrons who lack internet access at home.
Through a partnership between Verizon and Digital Promise, 34 Title I schools will join Verizon's 2024-25 Innovative Learning Schools (ILS) program to provide technology, internet access, and professional development as part of its Citizen Verizon initiative.
A week remains for K–12 stakeholders to submit comments on the Federal Communications Commission’s proposed 3-year, $200 million Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program, and so far, most comments submitted have expressed significant concerns that it is too "too small and too slow" to help public schools defend against emerging cyber threats.
Beginning in funding year 2024, K–12 school districts may use E-rate funding for school bus-based Wi-Fi, connecting students on long bus rides — and, in some districts, connecting students in homes with no internet service — just as the Emergency Connectivity Fund expires.
In its fourth and final report on K–12 school district internet connectivity, Connected Nation's (CN) Connect K–12 program tracked a 57.4% increase in the three years since 2020, and now 74% of the nation's school districts meet or exceed the FCC's 1 Mbps bandwidth per student goal, an increase of over 5 million students since 2022.
An overwhelming majority of E-rate applicants want the FCC to include cybersecurity services in the program, according to the 14th annual E-rate Trends Report released today by Funds For Learning.
Auvik, a provider of cloud-based network management software, has announced new partnership with K–12 IT consulting firm Delcom Group to make Auvik’s automated monitoring solutions accessible to school districts, according to a news release.
The new Digital Equity module, an extension to Lightspeed's Digital Insight network and ed tech analytics platform, provides real-time connectivity and device health data on students’ school-issued devices, enabling school leaders to know when students experience connectivity outages at home — allowing for interventions or assistance before learning outcomes are impacted, the company said.
Kajeet, which provides internet connectivity technologies to K–12 schools and families, has added eduroam network access to its SmartBus, Connect Suite, and Smart Transit services.