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Obama Introduces High-Speed Internet for Schools
Get ready for teachers to cut off WiFi as punishment.
On Friday, President Obama introduced ConnectEd, a plan that would give students access to high-speed and wireless Internet. The president made the announcement at a high-tech middle school in North Carolina, Mooresville Middle School, where every student is equipped with a laptop.
"When the world's information is just a click away, it demands that we bring our schools and libraries into the twenty-first century," Obama said to the crowd.
ConnectEd would give almost all students internet access across the country within five years. The plan would expand Internet access to 99 percent of students, including those living in rural and less populated areas.
In his speech, Obama said that only about 20 percent of students today have access to high-speed Internet. “In a country where we expect free WiFi with our coffee, why shouldn’t we have it in our schools?" he said.
ConnectEd would be funded by the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) E-rate program. The program is funded through surcharges on phone bills.
