Note: This map is no longer being updated. We plan to release a new map based on the FY16 E-rate program data collected by USAC. Please email E-rateDataTeam@fcc.gov with any questions. Thank you for your patience.

School Districts

This is an interactive map that shows, by School District, the percent of public schools with fiber connectivity sized by number of students. It does not show what percent of schools within a district actually subscribe to high-speed fiber. The universe of public schools is defined using 2011-2012 NCES Public School Data available at http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/pubschuniv.asp.

Connectivity status is compiled from data from the National Broadband Map (December 2013) and data submitted to the FCC in WC Docket Number 13-184 and posted at http://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/E-rate-modernization-data. Fiber connectivity is determined from either notation of “fiber” as the specific connection technology (at any speed) or a connection speed of at least 100 Mbps.

About

When Congress passed the Telecommunications Act of 1996 authorizing the creation of the E-rate program (more formally known as the schools and libraries universal service support mechanism), only 14 percent of classrooms had access to the Internet, and most schools with access (74 percent) used dial-up connections. Today, virtually all schools and libraries have Internet access.

But learning is changing. Teachers and students want to use innovative digital learning technologies in the classroom and the Internet connects library patrons to information, jobs, and promotes life-long learning. Demand for bandwidth in schools and libraries continues to increase. In an FCC survey of E-rate recipients, nearly half of respondents reported lower speed Internet connectivity than the average American home - despite having, on average, 200 times as many users.

The FCC began updating E-rate in 2010, and on July 23, 2014, released the E-rate Modernization Order, expanding wi-fi networks in schools and libraries across America while ensuring support continues to be available for broadband connectivity to schools and libraries. In the Further Notice released in conjunction with the E-Rate Modernization Order, the Commission sought input on the program’s long-term, overall funding needs, particularly in light of general industry trends in broadband pricing and the likelihood that demand for category one services providing connectivity to school and library premises will continue to grow.

Consistent with that effort, and to better understand the current state of fiber connectivity, the FCC seeks further community engagement to refine this map as well as a companion map on connectivity to libraries, which can be found by selecting the Libraries tab on the map selector above.

We recognize that the current version of this map only identifies connectivity to public school districts. We intend to augment it with information about fiber connectivity to private and parochial schools that are eligible for E-rate support.

Community Engagement

Can you help improve the data that drives this map? The Commission has asked for comment to help identify the gap between schools’ and libraries’ current connectivity and the specific connectivity targets the Commission adopted in its E-Rate Modernization Order. Can you help by providing a district or school name that is not identified? A school’s NCES ID (found at http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/)? An individual school’s connection technology (e.g., fiber, cable, T-1, wireless) or advertised download speed?

Please submit your comments, which will be included in the public record for WC Docket Number 13-184, to schoolfibermap@fcc.gov. Those e-mailed comments will be used to periodically update this map. All information submitted to that e-mail address, including names and e-mail and street addresses, will be publicly available via the web.

Note: This map is no longer being updated. We plan to release a new map based on the FY16 E-rate program data collected by USAC. Please email E-rateDataTeam@fcc.gov with any questions. Thank you for your patience.

Libraries

This is an interactive map that shows which public libraries (central and branch) are connected to fiber. It does not show what percent of libraries actually subscribe to high-speed fiber. The universe of public libraries is defined using the 2011-2012 IMLS Public Libraries Survey available from http://www.imls.gov/research/pls_data_files.aspx.

Connectivity status is compiled from data from the National Broadband Map (December 2013) and data submitted to the FCC in WC Docket Number 13-184 and posted at http://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/E-rate-modernization-data. Fiber connectivity is determined from either notation of “fiber” as the specific connection technology (at any speed) or a connection speed of at least 100 Mbps.

About

When Congress passed the Telecommunications Act of 1996 authorizing the creation of the E-rate program (more formally known as the schools and libraries universal service support mechanism), only 14 percent of classrooms had access to the Internet, and most schools with access (74 percent) used dial-up connections. Today, virtually all schools and libraries have Internet access.

But learning is changing. Teachers and students want to use innovative digital learning technologies in the classroom and the Internet connects library patrons to information, jobs, and promotes life-long learning. Demand for bandwidth in schools and libraries continues to increase. In an FCC survey of E-rate recipients, nearly half of respondents reported lower speed Internet connectivity than the average American home - despite having, on average, 200 times as many users.

The FCC began updating E-rate in 2010, and on July 23, 2014, released the E-rate Modernization Order, expanding wi-fi networks in schools and libraries across America while ensuring support continues to be available for broadband connectivity to schools and libraries. In the Further Notice released in conjunction with the E-Rate Modernization Order, the Commission sought input on the program’s long-term, overall funding needs, particularly in light of general industry trends in broadband pricing and the likelihood that demand for category one services providing connectivity to school and library premises will continue to grow.

Consistent with that effort, and to better understand the current state of fiber connectivity, the FCC seeks further community engagement to refine this map as well as a companion map on connectivity to schools, which can be found by selecting the School Districts tab on the map selector above.

Community Engagement

Can you help improve the data that drives this map? The Commission has asked for comment to help identify the gap between schools’ and libraries’ current connectivity and the specific connectivity targets the Commission adopted in its E-rate Modernization Order. Can you help by providing the name of a library that is not identified? A library’s FSCS ID (found at http://harvester.census.gov/imls/search/)? An individual library’s connection technology (e.g., fiber, cable, T-1, wireless) or advertised download speed?

Please submit your comments, which will be included in the public record for WC Docket Number 13-184, to libraryfibermap@fcc.gov. Those e-mailed comments will be used to periodically update this map. All information submitted to that e-mail address, including names and e-mail and street addresses, will be publicly available via the web.