It’s not enough for the Obama Administration to monitor the communications of adults, as the PRISM scandal revealed; in a masterpiece of synchronicity, Barack Obama announced his plans to implement high-speed Internet access to public schools in the U.S. the very day the PRISM scandal broke.
Now your kids can be monitored, too!
Obama said he would ask the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to pump up a program that subsidizes Internet access so that by 2018 99 percent of schools will have access to high-speed connectivity. He said, “In a country where we expect free Wi-Fi with our coffee, why wouldn’t we have it in our schools? Why wouldn’t we have it available for our children’s education?”
Obama, of course, cloaked his request in his usual mode of loading the argument, saying, “Imagine a young boy with a chronic illness that confines him to his home able to join his classmates for every lesson.”
Conversely, imagine every non-supervised student with access to porn sites.
Obama pointed out that every school in South Korea had access to high-speed Internet, while most American students who did have service had to make do with average bandwith capabilities.
Because the program does not require congressional approval, the White House wants the FCC to expand E-Rate, which already subsidizes Internet access in schools and libraries. That program is already paid for by fees on monthly telephone bills, which will be 40 cents higher if the program is expanded, according to the White House.
Acting FCC Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn was excited; she said Obama showed “bold vision,” and she looks forward to “working with my fellow Commissioners and the many stakeholders as we answer the president’s call to modernize this vital program. For America to compete in the 21st century, we need to make sure all of our children and their teachers have access to the best learning technology.”
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