Children of color suffer from the homework gap more than others, but the problem is felt wherever family incomes are low. According to an analysis of 2015 census data by the Pew Research Center, 41 percent of black households and 38 percent of Hispanic households with an annual income less than $30,000 lacked at-home broadband, compared with 35 percent for white households in the same income category. These students are among the most affected by school closures ordered as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Grants to schools, libraries
Congressional Democrats have proposed new spending measures and regulatory changes designed to help. The House Democrats’ latest coronavirus relief package, a $3 trillion measure that passed the House last Friday, would authorize the Federal Communications Commission to award $5 billion to schools and libraries “to provide internet service … to students and teachers, prioritizing those without internet access at home,” according to a summary of the bill.
Grant recipients could use the funding for laptops and Wi-Fi hotspots to keep students and teachers connected, with 5 percent of the funding set aside for students living on tribal lands. The bill would also codify the terms of the FCC’s “Keep America Connected” pledge by prohibiting service providers from abandoning customers who cannot pay as a result of the pandemic.
The House Democrats’ bill isn’t the first such effort. Sen. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass, has introduced a bill that would provide a $4 billion cash infusion for the FCC's E-rate program, which helps fund technology in schools and libraries. The bill is similar to House legislation introduced by Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., in early May, except that it doubles the amount the E-rate program would receive.
“We cannot allow the ‘homework gap’ to become a larger ‘learning gap’ during the coronavirus pandemic,” Markey said in a statement. “Without immediate action by Congress, and $4 billion in E-Rate funding, the students of low-income families, immigrants, communities of color and rural areas are at risk of being left behind.”
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May 19, 2020 at 05:11PM
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With schools shut, Democrats seek funds to close 'homework gap' - Roll Call
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