Letter to the Hon. Donald J. Trump, President of the United States - Meng and Booker Urge Trump to Increase Mobile Hotspots During Coronavirus Outbreak to Help Students Complete Schoolwork

Letter

Dear President Trump:

As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) begins advising schools to plan for possible interruptions, and as many schools shift toward a virtual classroom, we urge you to take action to protect the educational opportunities for the 12 million American students who live in homes without a broadband connection.

As schools and school districts are beginning to shift instruction online in an effort to protect their students from the spread of COVID-19, there are approximately 12 million students across the country that fall into "the homework gap," meaning they do not have access to the technology they need to participate in an online learning environment.[1] In 15 states across the country, the majority of students in rural areas do not have access to broadband.[2] And, the lack of access to broadband is particularly concerning for low-income students and students of color as these groups are less likely to have access to broadband than their counterparts[3].

Now that you have issued an emergency declaration pursuant to the Stafford Act for states preparing for and responding to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, we urge you to set aside at least $1 billion of the $42.6 billion available in the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) for schools and libraries to purchase mobile hotspots, and for the Federal Communications Commission to use its universal service powers, so that all students can continue to learn while we work together to respond to the spread of COVID-19. Given the current circumstances, students without access to broadband risk being left behind, a scenario that could cause irreparable harm to the long-term education of 12 million American children.

Several local school districts across the country have already taken action and provided mobile hotspots to students without broadband access, but not all students live in communities that have the resources to provide for those students. Federal assistance is needed to ensure that the challenges faced by our most vulnerable students are not exacerbated by this crisis. It is critical that your response to the COVID-19 outbreak consider the needs of these students, and we strongly urge you to provide the necessary resources to allow them to continue learning.

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