During remarks on the Senate floor Tuesday, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) spoke about an FCC rule on internet hotspots.
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00:00President. The senator from Connecticut. Thank you, Mr. President. I am here, Mr.
00:07President, to speak against Senate Joint Resolution 7. This resolution would
00:13prevent millions of students, educators, families from getting online, literally,
00:20from enjoying the vast benefit and resources of the online world. And today
00:28students and educators are dependent on broadband to learn and teach, to
00:34communicate with each other, to establish relationships and communities. Digital
00:40education has allowed for more flexible learning opportunities for all of us,
00:46whatever our age, but most specifically for students doing their homework, viewing
00:52lectures, engaging in discussions, and so much more. All of it online. It's a
00:59different world. And now, Senate Joint Resolution 7 threatens to cut off and
01:06constrict that world. The Internet can be a tremendous educational resource. Opening
01:16new doors for curious students. And digital literacy skills are fundamental to
01:23succeeding in this digital economy. But that economy also creates a new system of
01:30haves and have-nots. In education, that divide is called the homework half. It is a
01:41fundamental question of equity and fairness to close that gap. Students and studies have
01:50shown that without broadband at home, people earn lower grades than their connected
01:58classmates. No secret to why. It's a resource that enables better learning and more achievement.
02:05And their learning loss sets them back in career prospects and other opportunities. It sets them
02:12back for a lifetime, potentially. We saw the impact of the homework gap during COVID, when students
02:21were forced to take classes and exams from the parking lots of McDonald's. Literally, some of us saw
02:30students in those so-called hotspots away from their homes because it was the only way they could access
02:38their homework. Now, to combat that homework gap, Congress established a fund in 2021 for schools
02:46and libraries to loan Wi-Fi hotspots to students and educators. The program was an enormous success,
02:55ensuring nearly 18 million students at over 10,000 schools and libraries to get online.
03:03In Connecticut, that federal support, in addition to state funding, was wildly successful toward closing
03:12the homework gap. We made sure that every single student had access to a laptop and a high-speed broadband.
03:21I am so proud of everyone in Connecticut who was responsible for this program, combining federal
03:28and state resources in the best way. But, unfortunately, federal funds ran out. Rather than leave students
03:37behind, the Federal Communications Commission issued a rule last summer that would allow schools
03:43to continue providing Wi-Fi hotspots under its E-Rate program. The E-Rate program exists to help schools
03:52and libraries provide affordable interest in Internet access. So that was a natural step for the FCC last summer.
04:03And in Connecticut, funds from the E-Rate hotspot rule are supporting hotspot lending programs in Hamden,
04:12Norwalk, and countless other libraries. And I have visited them. I've seen the faces of educators and students excited
04:24about this enormous potential that brings together communities, frankly, from all different political parties.
04:34There's nothing partisan about this program. But today, my Republican colleagues are trying to cut off those students
04:41in Hamden, Norwalk, and elsewhere in Connecticut, and millions and millions of their peers all around the country.
04:52This resolution would nullify the FCC's rule that allows schools and libraries participating to join Wi-Fi hotspots to students.
05:04And I have to ask, really, are schools and teachers crying out to repeal this rule? Really? No, they're not.
05:16How does this proposal make any sense for them, or for families, the parents, for the community? It makes no sense.
05:30This resolution would undo, in fact, all of the hard work in closing the digital divide in states like Connecticut,
05:39where people have devoted lives and careers to helping students close that homework gap and do better.
05:47It will renew and exacerbate those inequalities of access for rural and low-income communities.
05:54It will set back millions of students in the name of what? In the name of what? What is the rationale? There is none.
06:09None. It's an embarrassment. It's a disaster. It's a self-inflicted wound that we can avoid here on the floor of the United States Senate.
06:21And I want to remind everyone here that once we vote in favor of this rule, we can't go back.
06:27Literally, you all know the rules. We can't go back. The FCC may not adopt a similar rule in the future.
06:34This is an irreversible self-inflicted wound.
06:41So I urge my colleagues to reject this misguided, wrong-headed resolution.
06:49It would be a disgrace if we deprive those students and their families of this vast resource, literally life-changing access to a really necessary service that helps them, not just now, but throughout their futures.
07:13We ought to expand internet access, not constrict it. We ought to be enhancing it, not cutting it off.
07:23And this effort in the name of what makes no sense, except that it exemplifies some of the cruelty and meanness and stupidity of the Elon Musk approach to public service and public access and fairness in our society.
07:52I urge my colleagues to take the positive step, and it would be a positive step of continuing this enormously important program in the name of educational future tomorrow and days afterward for our students in Connecticut and around the country.
08:15Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Mr. President.
08:17I yield the floor.