In a letter filed today, the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition joined Mobile Beacon, the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA), the North American Catholic Educational Programming Foundation (NACEPF), Public Knowledge and Voqal in asking the Federal Communications Commission to request additional comment on and delay its proceeding to transform the Educational Broadband Service (EBS).
“The EBS proceeding is enormously important to schools, Tribal Nations and the effort to solve the homework gap,” said John Windhausen Jr., executive director of the SHLB Coalition. “Unfortunately, the record lacks key information on many central issues in this proceeding, such as an economic analysis comparing auctions to retaining the preference for educational institutions, the impact of the Sprint-T-Mobile merger on EBS and 5G, and how to modernize the educational use rules. A rush to judgment in favor of auctions could deepen the digital divide, delay rural deployment, and permanently abandon the almost 60-year-old commitment to educational use of this spectrum.”
Read the full article at SHLB.org.

​“I thank the SHLB Coalition for organizing this briefing to educate our policymakers about the ways Educational Broadband Service (EBS) is being used today to provide much-needed broadband access to anchor institutions, students, low-income families, and rural Americans.

Today, EBS remains the only licensed spectrum available for educational institutions to connect their communities. In areas where EBS has been licensed, EBS licensees are connecting tens of thousands of schools, libraries, and other anchor institutions, and through them, millions of students and families not served by commercial broadband offers. However, for over 20 years, the FCC has not made EBS spectrum available in nearly 50% of the U.S., mostly in rural communities.

Now that the FCC has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, Transforming the 2.5 GHz Band, this previously unlicensed EBS spectrum will finally be made available. Chairman Pai has proposed granting priority windows for educators and Tribal Nations to apply for unlicensed EBS spectrum. Unfortunately, others at the Commission are proposing auctioning EBS to commercial entities that already have access to over 600 MHz of spectrum below 3 GHz, but are not serving these same mostly rural areas. The Commission is also considering removing educational eligibility and use requirements that are critical to delivering educational benefits, which jeopardizes the sustainability of existing programs and levels of service that EBS licensees provide today.

At a time when broadband access for education has never been more vital to how we learn and communicate, the costs of being disconnected have never been higher. Spectrum policy matters—particularly for rural Americans and others who fall on the wrong side of the digital divide. The persistent, digital divide in both urban and rural America is evidence that commercial providers, on their own, have not and will not close the digital divide. 

When it comes to closing the digital divide and homework gap, there is no silver bullet. E-rate funding stops short of providing connectivity to students at home. Most commercial providers are opting not to participate in Lifeline, and commercial programs such as Internet Essentials are helpful but will not reach everyone. We need our policymakers to ensure diverse spectrum policies that bring multiple stakeholders together and drive multiple approaches and solutions to reach the unserved. Otherwise, we will lose one of the most effective tools we have to close the digital divide.”

- Katherine Messier, Director of Development for NACEPF and Founder and Executive Director of Mobile Beacon, is a panelist at Windows of Opportunity: How EBS Spectrum Can Close the Digital Divide today, March 7th at 12 PM EST in Capitol Visitor Center, SVC 209-08
United States. 

​School advocates hope that a proposal under consideration by the Federal Communications Commission to tap into a largely unused portion of broadband spectrum will boost students’ access to high-speed internet connectivity.

The FCC is considering an array of ideas that it says will overhaul and “rationalize” outdated regulations for how the spectrum is governed, so that it could be put to better use and promote next-generation wireless broadband use. The ideas floated by the commission—in a notice put out for public comment last year—include changing how spectrum licenses are assigned by the FCC, and allowing auctions of unused spectrum.

The proposal also seeks to free up the Educational Broadband Service’s 2.5 GHz frequency band for commercial broadband services in rural areas. This frequency band, the largest band of contiguous spectrum below 3 GHz, is meant to serve primarily an educational purpose.

Read the full article at EdWeek.org.

Several Democratic senators voiced concern today over impacts of T-Mobile’s $26 billion agreement to acquire rival wireless service provider Sprint, and requested a hearing on the merger. At the same time, rural wireless carriers expressed their opposition to the deal.
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In a letter to chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, and ranking member Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., Sens. Ed Markey, D-Mass., Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Tom Udall, D-N.M., Tammy Baldwin D-Wis., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. expressed their concerns over the potential merger, and urged the committee to hold a hearing on whether the merger would have the benefits that the companies have claimed.
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Read more at MeriTalk.com.

The North American Catholic Educational Programming Foundation (NACEPF) and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Mobile Beacon, recently joined the 4Competition Coalition. Read the full announcement here. ​

Opposition to T-Mobile’s proposed merger with Sprint is growing. A group of five Democratic U.S. senators sent a letter to the leaders of the Senate Commerce Committee urging them to hold a hearing to examine the potential impact of the deal on consumer choice and competition in the wireless market.

“The merger of T-Mobile and Sprint would reduce the number of national wireless carriers from four to three. This reduction in competition raises a number of important questions that the committee should address,” wrote Sens. Edward Markey, Amy Klobuchar, Tom Udall, Tammy Baldwin and Richard Blumenthal.
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Read more at FierceWireless.com

Federal Communications Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel continued her backing of an incentive auction for Educational Broadband Service licenses at 2.5 GHz at a forum in Washington, D.C., framing it as a compromise option to “honor” the intent for educational use in the band while avoiding “collapsing” the current ecosystem.

At an event hosted by the Internet Innovation Alliance (video here), Rosenworcel outlined her proposal that an incentive auction be held for the EBS spectrum and the resulting funds dedicated to expanding students’ access to broadband services which are often needed to access and complete homework. She pointed to local initiatives such as mobile hot spot loans from K-12 schools, or Wi-Fi access points installed in school busses, as examples of programs that could potentially be supported or expanded.
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Read more at RCRWireless.com.

The North American Catholic Programming Education Foundation (NACEPF) and Mobile Beacon submitted additional reply comments on September 7, 2018, in response to the Federal Communications Commission’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Transforming the 2.5 GHz Band.
NACEPF and Mobile Beacon applaud the Commission for initiating this proceeding to license new EBS spectrum in areas that have long gone unserved by the commercial sector, and modernize the EBS band to ensure educational benefits keep pace with advances in technology. It is critical, however, that the Commission act based on the record of evidence, not on unsubstantiated rhetoric, and with a full understanding of the history and accomplishments of the EBS band.

The record is clear. Today, EBS is connecting tens of thousands of schools, libraries, and other anchor institutions and, through them, millions of students, families, and lifelong learners that would not otherwise be reached by comparable commercial broadband offerings. The record is also clear that, if EBS remains educational, tremendous opportunities exist for EBS to serve students and communities that remain unconnected at a time when (a) internet access has never been more important as a platform for learning and opportunity, and (b) the educational sector has demonstrated the technological sophistication to fully utilize this spectrum, with or without a commercial partner.
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Read the full comments here. 

The North American Catholic Programming Education Foundation (NACEPF) and Mobile Beacon submitted comments on August 8, 2018, in response to the Federal Communications Commission’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Transforming the 2.5 GHz Band. NACEPF and its subsidiary Mobile Beacon welcome the Commission’s decision to initiate this EBS proceeding, which has the potential to facilitate 5G wireless deployment, free up additional spectrum for rural deployment, and close the digital divide.  However, some of the Commission’s proposals, if taken together, would effectively eliminate education from the EBS band. We submit that the Commission need not abandon its long commitment to educational use to achieve its objectives.
 
NACEPF has licensed Educational Broadband Service (EBS) spectrum in 51 markets across the U.S., including 9 large metropolitan areas, 18 mid-size markets, and 24 rural, underserved parts of the country. Mobile Beacon, as the service organization of NACEPF, provides EBS service to 799 schools, 739 libraries, and 4,322 nonprofits across the country. These organizations often use Mobile Beacon’s broadband service to expand program services in their communities and help meet the broadband needs of their constituents and program beneficiaries. We estimate that anchor institutions are using Mobile Beacon’s internet service to benefit more than 425,000 individuals throughout the United States. Without any reliance on the universal service fund or other government subsidy program, Mobile Beacon’s service is helping to close the “homework gap”, reach underserved communities, and expand access to lifelong learning, fulfilling the objectives the FCC had over 50 years ago when they reserved the EBS spectrum for educational use. 
 
NACEPF and Mobile Beacon support the Commission’s decision to end the decades-long filing freeze for new EBS licenses, and we urge it to adopt rules that will quickly put unused EBS spectrum into the hands of currently eligible educational and nonprofit entities who will use it to achieve its highest and best use. We look forward to working with the Commission and other commenters in this proceeding to reform and revitalize the EBS band to advance educational and commercial broadband across the country.

NACEPF and Mobile Beacon issued a statement on the Federal Communication Commission’s vote to begin a new rulemaking to reform the 2.5 GHz Educational Broadband Service (EBS) spectrum today.

NACEPF and its subsidiary Mobile Beacon welcome the Commission’s decision to initiate this EBS proceeding, which has the potential to facilitate 5G wireless deployment and free up additional spectrum for rural deployment. However, we are deeply concerned that the FCC is considering changes that could remove the educational core of this public resource at a time when broadband access for education remains critical. 

For more than 50 years, the FCC has recognized the importance of reserving this spectrum for educational use. NACEPF, like many other EBS licensees, has delivered on that promise —using its EBS spectrum to solve difficult problems like the homework gap. Currently, through Mobile Beacon, 749 schools, 622 libraries, and 4,223 nonprofits across 50 states rely on NACEPF’s EBS service, to support the educational needs of their local communities. 

The US Chamber of Commerce found that among the technologies heralded as a transformative solution for education, broadband has the greatest potential. We look forward to working with the FCC to ensure that the highest and best use of this spectrum includes a focus on education and helping it reach its potential.   

North American Catholic Educational Programming Foundation, Inc. (NACEPF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to using technology to support lifelong learning and helping people of all ages and abilities reach their potential. As the second largest EBS licensee in the United States, NACEPF’s broadband service, religious and educational programming, and advocacy efforts aim to support education at every level. Learn more at www.nacepf.net.  
 
Mobile Beacon, the service entity of the North American Catholic Educational Programming Foundation, Inc. (NACEPF), provides high-speed, low-cost, mobile internet access to the anchors of communities: the nonprofits, schools, libraries, and healthcare organizations that provide vital services to millions of Americans every day. Through this educational broadband service, organizations have an essential tool to fulfill their missions and maximize their philanthropic impact. Learn more at www.mobilebeacon.org.

NACEPF's subsidiary, Mobile Beacon, submitted comments in response to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Notice of Inquiry released December 1, 2017. Mobile Beacon urged the FCC to recommit to the pro-consumer policies that enabled many different types of service providers to participate in the Lifeline program, and specifically opposed the elimination of the Lifeline Broadband Provider designation and the proposal to limit Lifeline provider eligibility to facilities-based providers. ​

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