Letter to the Hon. Jessica Rosenworcel, FCC Acting Chairwoman - Murray, Cantwell, Colleagues Urge New FCC Leadership to Use its Authority to Connect Students to Online Learning During Ongoing Pandemic

Letter

Dear Acting Chairwoman Rosenworcel:
Under your new leadership, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) must act quickly to
address a wide range of pressing issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Among these, we
urge you to provide home internet connectivity and devices to students who are unable to
participate in online learning during this ongoing emergency. We specifically call on the FCC to
take long-overdue action and utilize the E-Rate program to start bridging the "homework gap"
without delay.
As we approach the one year-anniversary of this public health crisis, studies indicate that as
many as 12 million children in the United States still lack internet access at home and are unable
to participate in online learning.1 These students are disproportionally from communities of
color, low-income households, Tribal lands, and rural areas.2 Despite our repeated call to address
this homework gap,
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your predecessor at the FCC refused to use the emergency authority
available to the Chair and resources available through the E-Rate program to connect these
vulnerable children. This mistake allowed far too many students to fall behind in their education.
The E-Rate is, and has been for over two decades, an essential source of funding to connect the
nation's schools and libraries to the internet. Contrary to your predecessor's assertions, the FCC
has always had clear emergency authority to utilize existing E-Rate funding to connect students
learning online during the coronavirus pandemic. The statute authorizing this program does not
preclude the FCC from freeing funds to connect students' homes during the current crisis --
which, because schools have had to close their doors, have become de facto classrooms for
millions of children.
We appreciate that you have already recognized the FCC's ability to act, including by asserting
in congressional testimony that "the FCC could use E-Rate right now to provide every school

library with Wi-Fi hotspots and other connectivity devices to loan out to students who lack
reliable internet access at home."4
In accordance with this statement, we urge you to now use
your new leadership of the FCC to depart from the prior Commission's erroneous position.
Specifically, we request that you leverage the E-Rate program to begin providing connectivity
and devices for remote learning. Although the funds currently available through the E-Rate will
not be enough to connect every student across the country, your prompt action would provide an
essential down payment. From there, Congress must provide the resources needed to finish the
job by passing our Emergency Educational Connections Act,
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legislation that would appropriate
billions more to be delivered through the E-Rate program to help close the homework gap during
the pandemic.
The urgency of combined action by the FCC and Congress cannot be overstated. Together, we
can provide the long-overdue support that our most vulnerable students require. We know you
share our concerns and look forward to working with you to bridge the homework gap during
this crisis, as well as design a permanent solution to the digital divide in the days ahead.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter. Due to the telework policies of many
Senate offices during the coronavirus pandemic, physical signatures are unavailable. The listed
senators have asked to be signatories to this letter

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