By Julius Johnson, Anacostia High School, 11th grade
Broadband is important for learning. Due to the pandemic, our government created the Emergency Broadband Benefit program (EBB) to help low-income families access broadband at a discount. Last year, schools had to shut down and students couldn’t go inside their schools to avoid getting infected with COVID-19. So many schools had to teach via distance learning, which means they need to use the internet for students to participate in classroom activities from their school. However, there are some students who do not have any internet in their household, and the program was created to help low-income families that cannot afford to pay for broadband.
Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, technology-enhanced traditional instruction by creating digital technology that assists teachers with their classroom’s instruction via video, audio, and interactive learning. Moreover, by using technology in the schools, educators realized that technology improved educational outcomes for students, and transformed student learning, both in the classroom and beyond. Broadband helps empower students to pursue their own interests and assemble their own curriculums, making it possible for students to learn anytime, anywhere, and at any pace.
Lastly, many families lost their incomes due to businesses closing in the community, so this program is very vital for ensuring that families have access to broadband during the school year. In conclusion, the EBB program is an extremely important program for families and students. For more information about this program, go to www.FCC.gov/Broadbandbenefit.
