Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, announced that the Committee will hold a hearing on July 17, 2013 at 2:30 pm ET to discuss E-rate 2.0. Senator Rockefeller would like to see the E-rate program strengthened, stating, “We’ve got to bring the promise of next-generation broadband connectivity to more schools and libraries and begin to level the playing field for more of our children.” He also said that he was eager to hear from witnesses on how on to work together to give students a bright, attainable future.
The E-rate hearing will be webcast live on the Senate Commerce Committee website. The Witness Panel 1 are as follows:
- Dr. Sheryl R. Abshire
Chief Technology Officer
Calcasieu Parish School System, Louisiana
- Ms. Linda H. Lord
State Librarian
Maine State Library
- Mr. Patrick Finn
Senior Vice President, U.S. Public Sector
Cisco Systems, Inc.
- Mr. James G. Coulter
Co-founder
TPG Capital
Please note, the FCC will be holding an open hearing on July 19 and may release potential new E-rate rules for stakeholders to comment on. The hearing will be webcast on the FCC website.
