WASHINGTON (AP) — Would you be willing to pay a little more on your phone bill to make sure every child has access to high-speed Internet at school?
The federal government is proposing such a plan. The head of the Federal Communications Commission says the nation should be willing to pony up another $1.5 billion a year to ensure broadband access at school.
If the five-member commission approves the chairman’s plan as expected next month, the FCC would be allowed to spend as much as $3.9 billion a year to wire schools and libraries in low-income areas with broadband connections that educators say are crucial to modern classrooms.
FCC chief Tom Wheeler says the average phone customer would pay under $2.00 a year to cover the cost of the broadband plan for students.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.