VARconnection

The Federal Communications Commission  announced  it will double the amount of E-rate funding allocated to high-speed Internet investments with a substantial spend of $2 billion, up from $1 billion last year.

This development arrives on the heels of the open letter released last Thursday by the EducationSuperhighway, a coalition of 50 tech CEOs advocating for broadband in schools. Read their letter here. President Obama’s State of the Union address also placed special emphasis on connectivity in schools, so this announcement is both timely and intentional.

What does this mean for you and your customers? A substantial amount of the funding increase for broadband is going to be achieved through restructuring of existing funds, meaning that there could be less E-rate funding available for certain other categories of products. That being said, there will also be that much more funding available for broadband sales.

Take advantage of this new opportunity through broadband-friendly products from The Douglas Stewart Company. More broadband in schools will lead to more robust mobile learning programs which you can support with products from our mobile learning ecosystem. Learn more about the mobile learning ecosystem here, or contact your Account Manager for more information!