EDUCAUSE Comments: Broadband Infrastructure and Student Access

Abstract

Twenty-nine (29) higher education associations and organizations joined EDUCAUSE on June 5, 2020, in sending a letter to Congress on significant broadband issues for higher education. The groups asked Congress to consider the needs of economically distressed college students in relation to efforts to bridge the digital divide during COVID-19 pandemic, specifically citing the Supporting Connectivity for Higher Education Students in Need Act as an important option for doing so. They also requested that Congress include proposals for strengthening the nation’s research and education (R&E) networks in potential broadband infrastructure funding, given the significant role that R&E networks play in providing advanced broadband access for community anchor institutions and the academic research community. Finally, EDUCAUSE and its partners encouraged federal policymakers to further enable the efforts of colleges and universities to extend their networking and technological capabilities in response to the learning, research, and service demands driven by the pandemic.