William E. Kennard

The E-Rate, or “education rate,” program was established in 1996 as part of the Telecommunications Act. The program offers schools and libraries computers and Internet access at reduced rates. In the following viewpoint William E. Kennard lauds the program. He asserts that these lower rates have allowed more than 1 million public classrooms, primarily those in the nation’s lowest income areas, to connect to modern telecommunication networks. According to Kennard, the E- Rate program has enabled previously disadvantaged students to prepare for the high-tech economy. Kennard, the former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, is a managing director at the Carlyle Group, a private equity firm. This viewpoint was originally given as a speech before the Educational Technology Leadership Conference.

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