Wirelessly Bridging the Homework Gap: Challenges in Getting Broadband to Disconnected Students

27 Pages Posted: 13 Oct 2017 Last revised: 24 Oct 2017

See all articles by Aleksandr Yankelevich

Aleksandr Yankelevich

Federal Communications Commission

Bianca Reisdorf

University of North Carolina (UNC) at Charlotte - College of Arts & Sciences; Michigan State University - Quello Center

William H. Dutton

GCSCC Computer Science University of Oxford

Mitchell Shapiro

Michigan State University - Quello Center

Date Written: October 18, 2017

Abstract

As many as five million households with school-aged children in the US do not have high-speed Internet broadband at home, creating a “homework gap” between those who can access the Internet to support their schoolwork, and those who cannot. Based on a series of empirical case studies of efforts to develop wireless projects across the US, coupled with a review of relevant spectrum and wireless regulations, this study informs academics and practitioners how wireless broadband can help bridge the gap. As we find, successful efforts entail more than using wireless as a technical fix. They require an understanding of how school-aged children and their families use the Internet, efforts to promote uptake and productivity enhancing usage, and financial and regulatory support from policymakers and other stakeholders.

Keywords: Digital Inequalities; Homework Gap; Internet for Education; Wireless Broadband

Suggested Citation

Yankelevich, Aleksandr and Reisdorf, Bianca and Dutton, William H. and Shapiro, Mitchell, Wirelessly Bridging the Homework Gap: Challenges in Getting Broadband to Disconnected Students (October 18, 2017). Quello Center Working Paper, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3052210

Aleksandr Yankelevich (Contact Author)

Federal Communications Commission ( email )

445 12th Street SW
Rm. TW-B204
Washington, DC 20554
United States

HOME PAGE: http://https://aleksyankelevich.com/

Bianca Reisdorf

University of North Carolina (UNC) at Charlotte - College of Arts & Sciences ( email )

Charlotte, NC
United States

Michigan State University - Quello Center ( email )

406 Communication Arts Building
404 Wilson Road
East Lansing, MI 48824-1212
United States

William H. Dutton

GCSCC Computer Science University of Oxford ( email )

Department of Computer Science
Robert Hooke Bldg 010
Oxford, Oxfordshire OX1 3PR
United Kingdom

Mitchell Shapiro

Michigan State University - Quello Center ( email )

406 Communication Arts Building
East Lansing, MI 48824-1212
United States

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