FCC approves $1.5 billion more for internet funding in schools

The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday adopted a broad expansion and overhaul of its program to bring high-speed Internet into schools and libraries, a move that will also add to the fees tacked on to the phone bills of Americans each month. The E-Rate program, part of the Universal Service Fund, will grow by $1.5 billion, to a spending cap of $3.9 billion, the first change in the base spending cap since it was set in 1997. F.C.C. officials said consumers would pay less than $2 a year in additional fees per phone line, or less than $6 extra per household, on average; the average household now pays about $36 a year for multiple phone lines. The amount an individual household pays can vary widely, with fees assessed on both home and mobile service. Businesses pay into the program as well. The approval came in a 3-2 vote split on political party lines and drew fiery dissents from the two Republican commissioners.