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For over a year now, the connectivity gap in American homes and schools has been jarring to see as many students all over the country have struggled to gain access to educational tech devices and strong internet connections. In an effort to close the connectivity gap amongst U.S. students, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced the launch of a $7.17 billion Emergency Connectivity Fund to help schools and libraries purchase technology and resources like laptops and tablets, Wi-Fi hotspots, modems, routers and broadband connections for schooling. According to a press release, this marks the agency and country’s largest effort to close the homework gap and connect American students to the tools they need to support their education. “Even before the coronavirus pandemic upended so much of day-to-day life, seven in ten teachers were assigning homework that required access to the internet,” FCC Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel shared in a press statement. “But data...
Mozilla, Google, Facebook, Vimeo, advocacy groups, and others headed to court last Friday to protest a recent ruling of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The companies are spearheading an appeal in the fight for net neutrality, or the right to maintain an open Internet, without broadband provider manipulation of content. Provider manipulation could include restricting Internet access to unpopular points of view, charging providers of specific sites more to show their content, or changing the connection speed when displaying certain material. Those against net neutrality believe that it negatively impacts competitive corporate investment in Internet services . The October ruling by the D.C. Circuit supported the 2017 decision of the Federal Communications Commission under Trump appointee Ajit Pai to do away with net neutrality protections put in place during the Obama administration. Pai’s repeal also prevented states from determining their own net...