Most Idaho school districts fall far short of FCC’s latest standards for bandwidth

Current broadband service in Idaho schools falls short of the latest national standards, lawmakers heard this morning. The FCC has set a recommended standard of 1 megabit per student, or 1 Mbps per student, for 2017-18. Only three of 131 school districts and charter schools in Idaho now meet that mark. “Most are at about 10 percent of that,” reported legislative budget analyst Paul Headlee.

Lawmakers on the Broadband Access Study Committee have been hashing over the extent of the need in Idaho and how the state should best approach it, including what they’re required to provide for education by the state Constitution. The panel is now taking a 15-minute break, and then will start focusing its discussions more specifically on legislative solutions.