The EBS Story
For over 50 years, a portion of our nation’s airwaves have been set aside specifically for educational use. Today, we call this spectrum Educational Broadband Service (EBS). This precious public resource currently serves educators and the public in a wide variety of ways.
In May of 2018 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced it is considering adopting a sweeping proposal that will privatize EBS, the only spectrum band reserved for educational and nonprofit entities.
EBS...
- Provides tens of thousands of students mobile internet access they would otherwise not have.
- Sustains educational institutions – including K-12, colleges and universities – with critical financial resources that help them deliver their mission.
- Allows hundreds of libraries the ability to offer internet access through mobile hotspot checkout programs.
- Gives nonprofits that bridge the digital divide connectivity so they can make an impact in their communities.
- Offers low income consumers an affordable option to access the internet at a time of consolidation and price hikes.
- Offers disaster relief organizations and those effected by natural disasters connectivity when they need it most.
- Allows commercial wireless providers a critical infrastructure asset to deploy 4G LTE and soon 5G services through a successful public-private partnership model.
Despite...
...this successful model that is making a difference in the lives of Americans, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is threatening to dismantle EBS. In May of 2018, the FCC announced it is considering sweeping proposals that will privatize EBS, the only spectrum band reserved for educational and nonprofit entities.
The FCC proposal for EBS could:
- Terminate educational eligibility, allowing for commercial entities to control this public resource.
- Eliminate educational use rules that are critical to delivering educational benefits.
- Auction off remaining EBS licenses, foreclosing an opportunity for roughly 50 million rural Americans from getting access to this spectrum to serve their schools and community.
Want to learn more about EBS? Watch this video.
MYTH vs. FACT
Learn the myths and facts about EBS.
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FACT
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FACT
EBS by the NUMBERS
EBS in the NEWS
- Let’s Give Schools a Tool to Solve the Homework Gap Benton
- Let Local Educators Close the Broadband “Homework Gap” Public Knowledge
- Providing Broadband to Rural America: How Educators with EBS Can Make the Difference Benton
- The Educational Broadband Service and Why it Matters for Schoolchildren and Unserved Communities Benton
- FCC’s proposed update to EBS rules prompts comments from public media Current
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Much is at stake in this proceeding. Selling EBS spectrum to the highest bidder would not only jeopardize hundreds of existing programs – many serving extremely low-income students and families – but also dismantle the educational legacy of the band. By preserving education in the EBS band, the Commission will ensure this public resource services its highest and best use – connecting students, families and communities that would otherwise lack internet access.
You can help by telling the FCC and your Congressional representatives to #SaveEBS…
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