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Law360 (August 25, 2020, 3:44 PM EDT) -- A Virginia senator is taking technology companies to task over what they can do to help students get online during the virtual school year, urging equipment makers like Apple, Microsoft and Samsung to contribute laptops and other devices to the cause.
Sen. Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat, told eight companies on Monday that Congress' rescue package wasn't enough to make sure that K-12 students have both at-home internet access and compatible devices for completing schoolwork.
"While the CARES Act provided essential funding for schools to purchase equipment for home learning, significant challenges remain to provide students with appropriate devices," he said. "Vulnerable students who already face numerous hardships are then further disadvantaged when they cannot access a remote education due to device unavailability."
Warner also sent letters to Dell, HP, Google, Microsoft, Acer America and ASUS USA.
Since March, the shutdown of schools and shift to online teaching caused by the coronavirus pandemic has exposed just how many families lack at-home internet access — about 12 million children and 18 million households. It also sent districts scrambling to purchase LTE-connected laptops and WiFi routers that students could take home, and Warner said that shortage is ongoing.
"Many primary and secondary school districts report that computers and tablets suitable for student use are not available for them to purchase in bulk. In other areas where the district doesn't provide items, families are not able to afford purchasing their own devices," he wrote. "Vulnerable students who already face numerous hardships are then further disadvantaged when they cannot access a remote education due to device unavailability."
Technology companies could step up to the challenge in a number of ways, Warner said, including by offering discounts on educational products and providing refurbished computers to districts' device-lending programs.
"While I understand the strains placed on the global supply chain, your prioritization of these matters would greatly assist struggling families at this challenging time," Warner wrote.
In the meantime, Warner said he's pushing for more broadband funding in the next coronavirus rescue package, which is currently stalled in the Senate.
In the last six months, the Federal Communications Commission has taken a number of steps to stretch educational broadband subsidies and make sure that internet service providers aren't cutting off hard-hit families, but less attention has been paid to device-makers themselves.
School districts generally procure their own devices and connectivity solutions, which can lead to both supply chain and funding bottlenecks. As stopgap measures, some districts have parked Wi-Fi-connected school buses in disadvantaged neighborhoods and opened up library networks to visitors in parking lots. Schools are also footing the bill for mobile-connected laptops and tablets that students can take home.
--Editing by Alyssa Miller.
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