US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Senate Republicans voted to reverse a rule that helps the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) connect rural students to internet access, including on school buses—a provision championed by U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.). After the vote, Senator Welch released the following statement:
“Republicans just voted to make it harder for rural students to learn. Installing Wi-Fi hotspots on school buses can be transformative for kids with long commutes through rural states like Vermont. The ‘Wi-Fi on Wheels’ program saw early success in Vermont,” said Sen. Peter Welch. “This unnecessary Republican rollback will only make it harder for our kids to succeed in the digital, 21st-century classroom, and it should have been voted down.”
As a member of the House, Senator Welch championed legislation, the E-Rate Support for School Bus Wi-Fi Act, to help close the homework gap for rural students who have long commutes by making Wi-Fi and similar technologies on school buses eligible under the FCC’s E-Rate program funding.
In 2023, Senator Welch invited former FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel to Williamstown, Vermont, for a discussion on rural broadband buildout and the Central Vermont Supervisory Union’s efforts to install Wi-Fi on school buses—a program called ‘Wi-Fi on Wheels.’ Following the Chairwoman’s visit to Vermont, the FCC voted to make Wi-Fi and similar technologies on school buses eligible for reimbursement under the FCC’s E-Rate program.
Vermont has the largest percentage of rural students in the country at 55%, and many Vermont students struggle to access the internet outside the classroom. More than 20% of Americans lack access to fixed terrestrial 25/3 Mbps broadband, the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) minimum standard for broadband speed.