After more than a year of intensive advocacy by NASSP and its partners, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today announced its intention to permanently increase funding for the federal E-Rate program by more than 60 percent to $3.9 billion.

As you likely know, E-Rate is the primary source of federal funding for technology infrastructure to U.S. schools and libraries. When it was first created in 1997, the E-Rate program was funded at $2.25 billion, and received only a nominal inflationary increase starting in 2010. Total funding for the program in fiscal year 2013 was $2.43 billion.

Quite simply, the funding increase translates into broadband Internet access for many more students. Funding the E-Rate program at $3.9 billion provides necessary funding to cover telecommunications services and Internet access requests, and also ensures that at least 10 million of our neediest students—particularly in rural areas—will gain access to broadband in 2015.

NASSP applauds the FCC’s and Chairman Tom Wheeler’s effort to expand educational opportunities for our nation’s students.

Principals remind us regularly that they cannot prepare students for this century without tools of this century. Modernizing E-Rate will put those tools in more students’ hands, and it will help fulfill principals’ aspirations of more personalized, student-empowered learning.

Please read more about the FCC proposal on the Principal’s Policy Blog.