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Learn21's Weekly EdTech Update

September 26, 2024

FCC E-Rate Hotspot Order: Key Features for EdTech Directors

Guest Author: Mark Colwell is the Director of Broadband Operations at Mission Telecom - a 501c4 non-profit telecommunications organization providing affordable broadband and investing in a movement of systemic change. 


In a significant move to bridge the digital divide, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved new rules in July to support Wi-Fi hotspots through the E-Rate program. Mission Telecom strongly supports the order, especially at a time when Congress has failed to renew funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program, and many school children may have lost the connectivity necessary to complete schoolwork. Here are the top features of the new order:

  1. Off-Premises Use of Wi-Fi Hotspots: Schools and libraries can now use E-Rate funding to purchase Wi-Fi hotspots and mobile wireless internet services for off-premises use. This means students and library patrons can borrow these devices to access the internet from home, addressing the "Homework Gap" and ensuring continuous learning.
  2. Three-Year Budget Mechanism: The order introduces a budget mechanism that sets a limit on the amount of support an applicant can request over a three-year period. For schools, the budget is calculated based on student counts, while library budgets will use square footage. 
  3. Device and Wireless Service Limits: The FCC has set a pre-discount cap of $15 per month for recurring mobile wireless internet services and $90 for Wi-Fi hotspots. These limits are based on average costs from the ECF program. While taxes and state electronic waste fees are excluded from these caps, other reasonable expenses like delivery, activation, and configuration fees are included.
  4. Safeguards and Compliance: The order also requires compliance with the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA), which mandates internet filters to protect minors, and strict documentation requirements for auditing purposes. Additionally, there are rules to prevent duplicative funding from other programs. Finally, service providers are required to report data usage, and lines of service with no usage for three consecutive months must be terminated. 

These updates to the E-Rate program are a crucial step towards ensuring equitable access to educational resources. To learn more about Mission Telecom or to sign up for a free trial of our unlimited 4G and 5G wireless services, please visit missiontelecom.org. Or visit our exhibit at the EdTech Leaders Alliance Conference 2024.


About the author: Mark Colwell serves as the Director of Broadband Operations for Mission Telecom, a nonprofit grantmaking organization and broadband service provider for educational institutions, libraries, and other social good organizations. 


Before joining Mission Telecom Mark was the Senior Manager of Broadband Programs for the Colorado Broadband office, where oversaw federal broadband grant programs, and he was appointed by Governor Polis to serve on the Colorado Broadband Deployment Board. Mark began his career as a Legislative Assistant in the U.S. Congress, focusing on telecommunications and IT issues. He also worked as a Senior Business Analyst at DISH Network and led telecommunications strategy at other organizations promoting digital equity.


Mark holds a master's degree in Interdisciplinary Telecommunications from the University of Colorado-Boulder, where he was the top graduate of his class. 

Taking Your Messages to the Next Level with Google Chat

During a typical school day, teachers often need to send quick updates or ask for assistance, and instant messaging has become a convenient solution.


Out of habit, some teachers may rely on SMS text messaging to communicate with colleagues. While SMS is fast and familiar, there are many reasons to switch to a different messaging service like Google Chat, Microsoft Teams, or Slack. For this article, I'm focusing specifically on Google Chat because it's what we use, but there are many other similar apps that will accomplish the same tasks.


Using SMS for professional communication comes with significant drawbacks, especially for teachers. For one, it blurs the lines between personal and professional life. Receiving work-related texts after hours can disrupt a teacher’s work-life balance, leading to burnout. Perhaps more importantly there are significant legal concerns with records retention and privacy. Using a personal device to communicate about student matters may make that device subject to a public records request!


Google Chat offers several benefits that make it a valuable tool for teachers. It provides a secure platform for communication, keeping conversations separate from personal messages. You also have the option of chats for one-on-one, small group messaging, or Spaces. Spaces create a collaborative environment for teams, allowing teachers to share files, assign tasks, and track ongoing discussions. This structure promotes more organized communication and reduces the clutter that often comes with SMS threads.


Moving away from SMS is crucial for teachers to maintain professional boundaries and protect sensitive information. Google Chat provides a clear, secure alternative that supports the daily needs of educators. It not only fosters better collaboration but also helps teachers achieve a healthier work-life balance by keeping personal and professional messaging separate.

Tips and Tricks

Three kinds of conversation

There are three different modes of conversation in Google Chat:

  • One-on-One - This is a conversation with one other person.
  • Group chat - A group chat is created when you add more than one person to a chat. These are usually created for ephemeral discussions that do not have a long life.
  • Space - A Google Chat Space is for a group of individuals to carry on conversations throughout the year or to make announcements. They have more controls than a group chat, along with the ability to easily add or remove not only people but Google Groups.

Accessing Google Chat

There are a few ways to access Google Chat: within your Gmail account, through the Google Chat mobile app, or via the web. The easiest way to get started is to look at Google Chat in your Gmail.

From there, all you need to do is mouse over the chat icon on the left and the Google Chat menu will pop up. You can continue a past conversation or start a new one-on-one conversation and group chat. This is also where you can create a Google Space.


For Google Chat to replace texting it needs to be able to be used on your smartphone, and you can do that by installing the Google Chat App through your smartphone’s respective app store. You can access Google Chat through the smartphone Gmail app, but I would recommend turning off Chat in the mobile Gmail app:

Why? Because it makes it easier to separate email notifications from chat notifications.


Finally, you can open up Google Chat as its own separate tab or as a web app. Create a new tab and navigate to chat.google.com. You’ll be able to chat separately from your email in this tab.


If you prefer this view, you can go into your Gmail settings and turn off Chat in Gmail to declutter the Gmail site:

Extra Credit

Teachers are reflecting on ten years of Google Classroom. From the initial pilot involving a handful of teachers and students, the platform has grown to over 100 million users globally. It's come a long way since its inception.


What is the complex relationship between AI, plagiarism, and cheating? Just because a student used AI tools doesn’t inherently mean they were cheating or it was plagiarism, IF students properly cite their use. Ultimately, using AI in education needs thoughtful consideration, open dialogue, and understanding of its impacts to guide students in making informed choices.



Kyra Bobinet, M.D., MPH, reveals in her article that lasting behavior change isn't about a straight path to success but rather about the messy, nonlinear art of iteration. Successful individuals adapt by continuously experimenting and adjusting based on real-time feedback, rather than setting rigid goals which can kill motivation when failure is detected. The process of iteration lets each setback become valuable data to guide the next step, keeping motivation alive and growth continuous.

🙋‍♂️ Bytes and Insights is co-authored by Eduk8me’s Ryan Collins who writes about education and educational technology. He is also the Director of Technology for Kenton City Schools in Ohio. Sign up for his Of Bits and Bytes newsletter at https://eduk8.me!


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