School districts now creating broadband services for students

The digital divide is adversely affecting American children’s access to education, and the pandemic has magnified this. Students in the low-income demographic often lack access to the internet needed to complete school virtually. 

During the 2020-2021 school year Covid-19 caused distance learning to skyrocket. A survey conducted by the US Census found that 65% of students in the United States were completing their schoolwork virtually. 

The survey also finds that low-income households were more likely to have their classes/schooling canceled rather than in a virtual setting. The survey found that 39% of students in households with a yearly income of $25,000 or less had classes canceled. On the contrary, only 18% of students whose households had an income of $200,000 or more per year had classes canceled. 

Even before the Covid-19 pandemic virtual learning was emerging. Data from the US Department of Education found that during the 2017-2018 school year approximately 21% of public schools offered one or more courses online. A report that took place in 2019 found that 85% of school administrators stated digital learning was a top priority. 

Due to Covid-19, some school districts in the United States have taken matters into their own hands, and have been offering mobile hotspots to students lacking internet service, thus allowing them to complete classes and schoolwork from home. Unfortunately, the average price for these mobile hotspots is about $25 per month, per student, which is a hefty price for districts to pay, pushing school districts to come up with a new solution.

Some communities are thinking of innovative and unconventional ways to make high-speed internet accessible to their constituents. About two-thirds of respondents in the “Broadband, Local Economies & the Age of COVID” survey said they were planning to build networks in schools, libraries, or government buildings. 

Some school districts across the country have already begun to build their own networks to bridge the digital gap. The Dallas Independent School District is now home to a few 90-foot towers, placed on the property of schools within their district. These towers are the district’s first step into creating its own broadband network. 

When the pandemic first hit, the district offered mobile hotspots to about 40,000 students, but soon began searching for more of a permanent fix. The district decided to take the wholesale fiber-optic network that it had in place and use 90-foot towers to broadcast it– free of cost– to the surrounding neighborhoods of students in need. “It’s kind of like renting versus owning,” said Jack Kelanic, Chief Technology Officer for the district.

That said, there are varying limitations set in place for the public broadband services currently offered by schools, including broadband equipment that is required to access high-speed internet. Not all families have the necessary devices to fully take advantage of broadband services. Students and individuals would likely need a receiver to use the service, while in some cases the broadband is only able to be connected to district-issued laptops that come with their own batch of use restrictions.

A few other school districts across the United States have been able to do the same due to the lifting of federal regulations.

With regulations removed, two Texas school districts and one Utah school district have been able to access the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS). The CBRS is a 3.5 GHz band of radio waves that were previously exclusive to the US Navy and are now available for businesses, libraries, schools, and others to utilize.

“We need to give schools the tools they need to help solve the Homework Gap. Thanks to the FCC’s efforts, the 3.5 GHz band is a powerful slice of wireless spectrum that can do just that.” said acting FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.