On September 17, 2020, thirty-eight senators sent a letter to FCC Chairman Pai, expressing their concerns about the digital divide and called on the FCC Chairman to take action to close the homework gap without delay. The letter states:
“As a new school year begins, students across the country are increasingly returning to virtual classrooms due to the coronavirus pandemic. Yet, studies indicate that as many as 16 million children in the United States lack internet access at home and are unable to participate in online learning. …Without urgent action by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), we are deeply concerned that they will fall further behind in their studies. The current emergency demands that you take immediate action to help our nation’s most vulnerable children. We specifically call on you to utilize the E-Rate program to close this “homework gap” without further delay.“
The letter to FCC Chairman Pai can be found here.
