The FCC voted to end E-Rate discounts for library hotspot lending and school bus Wi-Fi.
The Federal Communications Commission voted Tuesday to end discounts to libraries and schools for hotspot lending and school bus Wi-Fi , which affects local programs.Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.
4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less.A recent decision by the Federal Communications Commission to end assistance meant to expand Wi-Fi access in communities during the pandemic lockdown will force L.A. County libraries to end their digital lending services. The Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday voted to end E-Rate discounts to libraries and schools for hotspot lending and school bus Wi-Fi, saying the initiatives “exceeded” or were “inconsistent” with the commission's authority.The LAX Automated People Mover is long delayed and $880M over budget. Here's what went wrong“Due to the FCC’s recent vote to end E-Rate support for library hotspot lending, L.A. County Library will begin winding down its digital lending services,” Karol Sarkisyan, marketing manager at L.A. County Library, told LAist. “Continuing these services would cost the library approximately $40,500 per month — an expense the library’s current budget cannot absorb.” Remaining American Rescue Plan funds will allow the L.A. County Library to continue laptop lending through January and hotspot lending through March 2026. Free Wi-Fi also will continue to be offered inside and within 25 feet of library locations. A Los Angeles Unified spokesperson told LAist the district doesn't receive funds for bus Wi-Fi, but it does expect between 60,000 to 70,000 student to be affected by the loss of hotspot lending. "The anticipated loss to Los Angeles Unified from the Hotspot Lending Program is approximately $10-12 million," the spokesperson said in a statement. "The annual loss is $622,000."don’t have access to quality internet. But Sam Helmick, president of the American Library Association, said access to the internet is essential to life’s daily infrastructure. “E-Rate was a way to support the fact that broadband is not as prolific in the United States as it is in other first-world countries,” Helmick said. “This was a way of mitigating that gap so that Americans could connect with the world around them, which is increasingly online.” During the pandemic, the FCC approved measures to support students’ connectivity as schools pivoted to online learning. When schools opened up again, the FCC kept those programs in place, even expanding them to get more households connected.“A school bus is neither. We cannot simply reinterpret ‘classrooms’ to mean any place where learning might occur,” Carr stated. “Moreover, giving kids unrestricted access to the internet while riding the school bus is bad policy.” FCC Commissioner Anna M. Gomez, the one dissenting vote on the item, said broadband is the backbone of opportunity. Without these services, vulnerable students will be left behind, she added. “Let me be clear, these decisions benefit no one,” Gomez said in a statement. “It will, however, make it harder for students to learn, harder for libraries to serve their community and harder for us to close the digital divide.” As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone. Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us. We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you. No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community. Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.Administrators say the bargaining units should be dismissed, or that they have no standing. One campus is going after the federal agency in charge of union activity.Around 400 feet of coastal bluff in Rancho Palos Verdes plummets toward the oceanClimate and Environment After-action report finds 'outdated, unclear and contradictory' alerts hampered Eaton Fire evacuations The critical findings are part of long-awaited after-action report was released Thursday. It contains recommendations for increasing emergency staffing and updating old systems.The list of venues for the 2028 LA Olympic Games has changed. Here's what you need to knowAs Black surfers return for competition and community in Huntington Beach, an LAist editor finds her wave 'A Great Day in the Stoke' is a free, daylong event in Orange County billed as 'the largest gathering of Black surfers in history.' The fourth annual festival is set for Saturday in Huntington Beach.Which schools get to have crossing guards? Here’s how LA is changing the system LA’s legal cannabis owners say multi-million dollar program to give them a hand up, instead left ‘complete debt and devastation’
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