Education

"If your kid doesn't have broadband access, that's a real disadvantage for participating in modern education."
Julius Genachowski, Federal Communications Commission

Broadband is critical for quality education...in the classroom and at home.

Broadband technology provides students, parents, administrators, and educators with a platform for enabling a wide range of innovative tools, services, applications, and hybrid approaches to teaching and learning.

The connection between quality broadband and quality education is clear.

Internet-based technologies and tools enhance learning outcomes. Broadband-enabled educational tools facilitate more interactive, personalized instruction, which has been found to improve learning outcomes. Many online academic enrichment services use video, animation, sound, and interaction to help children learn, to excite them about a topic, and to reinforce concepts learned in class. High-capacity broadband is increasingly necessary to view multimedia Web sites. Some services even offer real-time tutoring by connecting students to a live tutor through a video and audio feed.By engaging students more directly in the learning process, students are able to more quickly master course content and become adept at problem-solving and participating in the creation of their own content via various forms of media.

By offering courses and programs of study over the Internet, students are provided greater choice and flexibility. Advanced learners are no longer limited by the courses offered in their schools and can obtain the coursework they need through online opportunities.

Broadband-enabled educational technologies play a critical role in the development of 21st century skills. As the Federal Communications Commission observed, “digital literacy is a necessary life skill, much like the ability to read and write.” Benton Foundation, "The Benefits of ConnectED and Faster Internet in Schools and Libraries Are Enormous"

Strong education drives a growing society. In an age in which cuts to education budgets are nearly universal, high-speed broadband can be the answer to keeping education strong. Students can take virtual field trips to anywhere in the world. Career ideas can be fostered as students watch a surgery or explore the world of an engineer. New technologies can help students with special needs read their notes, save lectures for further watching and gain access to different methods of learning. Slow Internet speeds and broadband bottlenecks hamper many of these applications; high-speed broadband can set students free. National League of Cities, "Who Needs A Gig?"

It is a simple fact that access to high-speed broadband is now as vital a component of K-12 school infrastructure as electricity, plumbing, air conditioning and heating. The same tools that have transformed and enriched our personal, civic and professional lives are dramatically improving learning experiences intended to prepare today’s students for college and 21st century careers. State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA), "Equity of Access: The Broadband Imperative"

Broadband Matters for Education

SPEED Matters

School facilities need a large capacity broadband connection. In most cases, that requires fiber optics.

At home, students may face a significant slow down in service because a family's broadband service is shared among multiple applications. And upload speeds are increasingly important for students as their education includes creation of original content that needs to be uploaded and shared with teachers and other students.

AFFORDABILITY Matters

Schools are faced with the reality of tightening budgets, and paying too much for high-capacity broadband is a factor in rising costs. In communities with locally-owned fiber networks, schools often pay much less than they would if forced to pay for connections through incumbent providers.

At home, all student-regardless of their parents income-need broadband access. If it's out of the family's financial reach, it puts that student at a disadvantage in the classrom.

RELIABILITY Matters

Frequent broadband outages can be a huge problem for students who rely on internet access to complete homework assignments. If a big project is due the next morning and the internet goes down, it creates a challenge for the student and his/her family.

Fiber optic technology is built from the ground up to be much more reliable than last-generation copper networks like current providers offer. Increased reliability means students can finish their online assignments on time.

UNIVERSAL ACCESS Matters

In some communities, certain school facilities have access to fiber while others rely on copper-based connections that are slower and less reliable. In the 21st century ALL students-from elementary through high school-need broadband.

Certain technologies such as DSL have physical limitations in the broadband speeds they offer. So just the neighorhood you live in may affect your ability to receive quality broadband. Fiber optic technology offers the same fast and reliable connection regardless of your home's location on the network.

Additional Resources on Broadband for Education

"The Impact Of Broadband on Education". A study commissioned by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (PDF)
"Broadband For Education". Excerpt from "What Fiber Broadband Can Do For Your Community", Broadband Communities Magazine, Fall 2015. (PDF)
"High Speed Broadband Access For All Kids: Breaking Through The Barriers". SEDTA, June 2008.