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Letter to Speaker Pelosi, Leader McCarthy, Leader McConnell, and Leader Schumer - Meng Urges House and Senate Leaders to Ensure Students Have Internet Access for Remote Learning During COVID-19 Crisis

Letter

By: Grace Meng, Rashida Tlaib, Sheila Jackson Lee, Jared Huffman, Jimmy Panetta, Grace Napolitano, Nydia Velázquez, Mark Pocan, Raul Grijalva, Jim Costa, Linda Sánchez, Jim Himes, Alcee Hastings, Sr., Cedric Richmond, Deb Haaland, Steven Horsford, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Sylvia Garcia, Darren Soto, Danny Davis, Debbie Dingell, Mary Scanlon, Ruben Gallego, John Larson, Alan Lowenthal, Dwight Evans, Barbara Lee, T.J. Cox, Diana DeGette, Eleanor Norton, Bobby Rush, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Susie Lee, Adriano Espaillat, Brian Higgins, Derek Kilmer, Adam Schiff, Cindy Axne, Dutch Ruppersberger, Eliot Engel, Gwen Moore, Tony Cárdenas, Ed Case, Marcia Fudge, Denny Heck, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Jan Schakowsky, John Sarbanes, David Cicilline, Pramila Jayapal, Jerry McNerney, John Yarmuth, Brendan Boyle, Joe Kennedy III, Susan Wild, Mike Thompson, Kathy Castor, Lori Trahan, Don Payne, Jr., Adam Smith, Juan Vargas, Elissa Slotkin, Earl Blumenauer, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, André Carson, Joyce Beatty, Eddie Johnson, Terri Sewell, Abby Finkenauer, G. K. Butterfield, Jr., Mike Levin, Jahana Hayes, Donna Shalala, Albio Sires, Ben Luján, Jr., Thomas Suozzi, José Serrano, Jennifer Wexton, Joe Neguse, Chuy Garcia, David Trone, Suzanne Bonamici, Salud Carbajal, Michael San Nicolas, Yvette Clarke, Vicente Gonzalez, Josh Harder, Dave Loebsack, Ayanna Pressley, Peter DeFazio, Peter Welch, Doris Matsui, Robin Kelly, Jerry Nadler, Alma Adams, Steve Cohen, Hank Johnson, Jr., Jim McGovern, Tim Ryan, Donald McEachin, Lisa Blunt Rochester, Stephen Lynch, Marc Veasey
Date: May 8, 2020
Issues: Technology and Communication Education

Dear Speaker Pelosi, Minority Leader McCarthy, Majority Leader McConnell, and Minority Leader Schumer:

We are grateful for your swift and steadfast leadership in securing the well-being and economic health of our nation. As you craft the next coronavirus relief package, we request the inclusion of the Emergency Educational Connections Act of 2020, H.R. 6563. The Emergency Educational Connections Act of 2020 will ensure schools and libraries, including tribal schools and libraries can purchase Wi-Fi hotspots, modems, routers, and internet-enabled devices to provide internet connectivity to students during this unprecedented time.

As you know, to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, schools across the nation have closed--many for the remainder of the school year. This has impacted over 55 million students across 124,000 U.S. public and private schools.[1] For millions of students without internet access at home, they face an uncertain educational future that could have long-term consequences for their overall success.

Even before the outbreak of COVID-19, however, the "homework gap,' had proven to be a pernicious problem. According to Pew Research, 15 percent of households with school aged children did not have internet access based on 2015 Census data, and some studies have estimated that as many as 12 million students may lack internet access at home.[2] These trends, unfortunately, are even more pronounced for minorities and low-income households.[3] Before the pandemic hit, about 7 in 10 teachers assigned homework that required internet access; today, schools across the country have moved learning entirely online, including class meetings, explanations of new content, virtual field trips, homework, and learning exercises. Students without internet service will fall further behind as students with internet service at home can continue advancing in their studies. Whether they live in urban centers, suburbs, or exurbs, or small communities in rural America, all students require internet connectivity to succeed during this pandemic.

We were grateful to see a provision in the House Democrats' Take Responsibility for Workers and Families Act, that would have provided $2 billion in funding to provide students with Wi-Fi hotspots and internet-enabled devices for the duration of this health crisis. Unfortunately, this provision was not included in the Senate's Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. We must correct this omission, which is why we strongly urge the inclusion of the Emergency Educational Connections Act of 2020 in the next package. This legislation would empower the Federal Communications Commission to disburse $2 billion from a special Emergency Connectivity Fund to schools and libraries, including tribal schools and libraries.

As the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic continues and millions of Americans are asked to stay home for the sake of everyone's health, we must ensure our most vulnerable constituents--including students--are not left behind. We thank you for your leadership and attention to this critical issue.


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