Editor’s note: On the fifth day of the 12 Days of Broadband, MCNC takes a look back to June when the Federal Communications Commission announced plans to modernize the E-Rate program and where it is now.

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. – Sixteen years ago, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) established the Schools and Libraries Universal Support Mechanism, or E-Rate, to bring advanced services to schools and libraries across America.

In many ways, the program has been a success. But, as with many federal programs, it has had its share of difficulties.

For some schools around the country, Internet connectivity has not yet reached the place where the greatest benefits would be realized: in classrooms. While the FCC has made progress over the past decade in helping to connect schools, its E-Rate program has fallen short on connecting classrooms with high-speed broadband.

The current E-Rate program, many have said in recent times, has structural problems that must be first addressed in order to better serve schools and students. Those issues identified were the arduous paperwork and filing process, delays, a complex application process, outdated priority levels, and poor incentive structures.

“Three years ago, the National Broadband Plan observed that the commission doesn’t have the means to identify `the different types or capacities of broadband services that are supported through the E-Rate program,'” stated FCC Commission Ajit Pai earlier in the year.

“We can see the forest, say, whether funds were spent on telecommunications services or basic maintenance, but we can’t see the trees when it comes to specific schools and particular spending practices,” he added. “In short, as the E-Rate program has evolved over the years, we have lost sight of what’s important. A program meant to help kids has instead become too heavily focused on bureaucracy.”

Commissioner Mignon Clyburn also agreed that now it is a pivotal moment for technology and connectivity in education.

“Technology has the power to revolutionize education in America, but we are not where we need to be relative to other nations and to the rate of technology adoption in this nation,” commented Clyburn. “And, one of the biggest obstacles to seizing the opportunities of digital learning in America is inadequate bandwidth at our schools and libraries. Simply put, they need faster, high-capacity connections and they need them now.”

In June, the FCC initiated a thorough review and modernization of E-Rate built around three goals: increased broadband capacity, cost-effective purchasing, and streamlined program administration. That same month, President Barack Obama made a stop in North Carolina to announce the ConnectED initiative, a plan to connect U.S. schools and libraries with broadband Internet connections of at least 100 Mbps with a target of 1 Gbps within five years.

A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on E-Rate was issued by the FCC on July 23. It contains more than 330 items that question almost every aspect of today’s program. Initial comments from interested parties were due Sept. 16, and replies to these initial comments were expected a month later. However, the FCC extended its comment deadline for the E-Rate Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to Nov. 8 as a result of the 16-day federal shutdown in October.

The FCC continues to accepting input from the public about ways to update E-Rate, and whether to increase the amount collected under the program. A decision is expected to be made next year.

As more schools adopt new learning models powered by blended and online learning, an updated E-Rate will provide more opportunities for schools, libraries and others to secure essential broadband access for the nation’s students.

An estimated 72 percent of public schools lack the broadband speeds necessary to fully access the Internet, according to California-based nonprofit Education Superhighway. While 99 percent of public schools are connected to the Internet, they lack the high-speed connections necessary to support the explosion of devices — laptops, tablets, smartphones — and education applications to make full use of the Web in the classroom.

The federal government has connected public schools and libraries to the Internet through E-rate, a surcharge added to telephone bills since 1997. The program represents the federal government’s largest education technology program.