Obama Unveils ConnectED Initiative

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — President Barack Obama is calling for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to lead a campaign that would bring high-speed broadband Internet to 99 percent of K-12 schools by 2018.

Entitled the ConnectED initiative, the President unveiled his plan at Mooresville Middle School last week during his “Middle Class Jobs and Opportunity” tour.

“In a country where we expect free Wi-Fi with our coffee, why shouldn’t we have it in our schools,” Obama said.

The President is asking the FCC to modernize and leverage the FCC’s E-Rate program, which regulates broadband and wireless connectivity in the nation’s schools and libraries. The White House hopes to achieve a minimum speed of 100Mbps and a goal of 1Gbps.

Increased connectivity is a must for the nation’s schools in order for future generations to be competitive in the global economy, the President said. According to Obama, students in the United States are falling behind countries like South Korea, which provides 100 percent of its students with high-speed Internet and is in the process of phasing out printed textbooks. Currently, only about 20 percent of American students are provided with high-speed Internet.

“That step will better prepare our children for the jobs and challenges of the future and it will provide them a sure path in the middle class and as a consequence it will mean a stronger, more secure economy for all of us,” Obama said.

The announcement at Moorseville Middle School is symbolic in that it is considered an example of providing successful digital education at low cost per pupil. All teachers are trained in digital learning and every student is issued a laptop beginning in the third grade.

“This is not about the technology,” said Moorseville Superintendent Mark Edwards in a White House statement. “It’s not about the box. It’s about changing the culture of instruction – preparing students for their future, not our past.”

ConnectED provides emphasis on students living in under-served or rural communities, building upon the efforts of the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program.

The plan also equips teachers with the resources they need in order to educate students in a tech-friendly environment. ConnectED promises to provided teachers with the necessary training and digital tools through funding from Titles II and VI of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

“In an age where the world’s information is just a click away it demands that we bring our schools and libraries into the 21st century,” Obama said. “We can’t be stuck in the 19th century when we’re living in a 21st century economy.”