Statistics: Universal Service

Our . . . challenge is to provide Americans with the educational opportunities we'll all need for [the 21st] century. In our schools, every classroom in America must be connected to the information superhighway with computers and good software and well-trained teachers. We are working with the telecommunications industry, educators, and parents to connect . . . every classroom and every library in the entire United States by the year 2000. -- President Clinton's State of the Union Address, January 23, 1996.

• National Fact Sheet, Children's Partnership (2002)

Universal Service

• FCC Fourth Sec. 706 Report (Sept. 2004)
• Rural carriers receive more than $1 billion annually in universal service support for their underlying copper loop network. [p.32]
• Since 1998, the universal service fund has disbursed more than $55 million to support broadband connections to rural health facilities. USAC estimates that the fund will provide more than $28 million in Funding Year 2003 alone to help provide assistance for rural health care connections in remote communities, and potentially an even larger amount in Funding Year 2004. [p.32]
• In 2002, more than 75% of U.S. households with incomes of more than $50,000 had Internet access, but the share was 38% for those with household incomes of less than $30,000, according to a survey by the Pew Project… Our data indicate that the gap between subscribership in the highest income zip codes ($53,494 and higher) and the lowest income zip codes ($21,644 and lower) has shrunk from about 37 to 17%age points, primarily due to increases in subscribership among low-income zip codes. In particular, our most recent data indicate that, in December 2003, approximately 99% of the highest income zip codes reported high-speed lines and almost 82% of the lowest income zip codes reported high-speed lines. By contrast, the Third Report indicated that as of June 2001, of the highest income zip codes, 96% had high-speed subscribers, while of the lowest income zip codes, 59% had highspeed subscribers. [p.34-35]
• According to a May 2004 study by the Pew Project of adults, 61% of non-Hispanic Caucasians, 59% of Hispanics, and 52% of African- Americans used the Internet as of February 2004. Further, research by the Pew Project indicates that, in 2001, 20% of Hispanic adult home Internet users had broadband access, 15% of non- Hispanic Caucasian adult home Internet users had broadband access, and 9% of African-American adult home Internet users had broadband access. In 2003, 30% of non-Hispanic Caucasian adult home Internet users had broadband access, 24% of Hispanic adult home Internet users had broadband access, and 20% of African- American adult home Internet users had broadband access. Moreover, as noted above, the use of broadband in schools with the highest minority enrollment increased from 81% to 95% between 2000 and 2002. [p.36-37]

Erate

• FCC Fourth Sec. 706 Report (Sept. 2004)
  • Since 1998, nearly $7 billion has been disbursed to schools, and an additional $827 million to consortia that include both schools and libraries. [p.34]
• Internet Access in U.S. Public Schools and Classrooms: 1994-2002, ED 11/17/2003
• US Schools All But Wired Cyberatlas 2/24
• Study: U.S. Schools 95 Percent Wired The Industry Standard 2/18
• Nearly all U.S. schools now have Internet access, survey finds NandoTimes 2/17
• Most public schools connected to Net USA Today 2/17
• 95 Percent Of Public Schools Now Net-Connected - Report Newsbytes 9/11

Access to the Internet in Schools

• Internet Access to US Public Schools and Classrooms, National Center for Education Statistics, 1999-2003
• FCC Fourth Sec. 706 Report (Sept. 2004)

• In 2002, 99% of public schools had access to the Internet, compared to 35% in 1994. [p.33, 34]
• In 2002, 94% of public schools reported using broadband connections for Internet access, compared to 80% in 2000 and 85% in 2001. In 2002, as in previous years, the use of broadband connections is directly related to school size; 90% of small schools reported using broadband connections to access the Internet, compared with 100% of the large schools. Most notably, the use of broadband connections in schools with the highest minority enrollment increased from 81% to 95% between 2000 and 2002. Similarly, during the same time period, the percentage of schools with the highest poverty concentration (as measured by the percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch) using broadband connections to access the Internet increased from 75% to 95%. [p.10, 33, 34]
• According to the Department of Education, Internet access using broadband connections has increased from 75% in 2000 to 95% in 2002 among the schools with the highest poverty concentration. [p.36]
• [p.33]
• Classrooms
• More than 92% of public school classrooms have Internet access. [p. 10]. compared to 3% in 1994 and 77% in 2000. [p.33, 34]

• Year Three of the UCLA Internet Report, UCLA Page 65 1/31/03
• Internet Use by Children at school.  2000:  52.7%.  2001:  63.6%.  2002:  73.3%
• Pew Survey: College Net Use At 86%, MSNBC 9/16/02
• Web Is a Vital College 'Utility,' Study Reports, Wash Post 9/16/02
• The Internet and Education: Findings of the Pew Internet & American Life Project, Pew 9/6/01
• National Center for Education Statistics released a new report on Internet Access in US Public Schools and Classrooms 1999-2000 in May 2001
• Urban Institute, E-Rate and the Digital Divide:  A Preliminary Analysis From the Integrated  Studies of Educational Technology, Sept 20, 2000
• Department of Education, Internet Access in U.S. Public Schools and Classrooms: 1994-1999, January 2000.