This week, Mark Zuckerberg announced the decision to open Internet.org to third-party developers. Zuckerberg has been defending Internet.org for the past few weeks, recently arguing that “it’s not sustainable to offer the whole Internet for free.” Access Now’s Donna Wentworth explains the human rights organization’s perspective on zero rating and how the change does not solve the project’s net neutrality problems. On the net neutrality front, Cathy Sloan argues that while the net neutrality order was a step in the right direction, there is more work to be done in ensuring a truly open Internet. In the Stanford Social Innovation Review, Kentaro Toyama looks at how the net neutrality debate leads to a larger social question: “Are there social values that are more important than low-cost goods for consumers and corporate freedom in the market?”
In that vein, as Julian Hattem reports for the Hill, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler spoke at this years Internet and Television Expo on how cable companies “are no longer the ‘cable’ industry,” but rather “are the leading association of leading broadband providers.” You can find Chairman Wheeler’s full remarks here.
This week, Kajeet announced a new program to help educators manage students’ home connectivity. With the Managed Education Broadband program, Kajeet will help schools handle filtering, time restrictions, data consumption, and more.
As Jessica Guynn reports, Intel has decided to invest over $5 million in a pilot program at Oakland Unified School District to teach high school students computer science. The program aims to send 600 high school graduates to college to continue studying computer science engineering to gain the skills to then work at companies like Intel.
Senator Matt Schmit, a member of the Minnesota Senate, argues in the Kenyon Leader that the Minnesota legislature is not doing enough to help connect Minnesotans, especially those in more rural areas.
Writing for Fast Company, Steven Melendez delves into the local Internet movement and online slots the use of mesh networks in the United States.
Educators across the globe are constantly searching for ways to make high-quality education more affordable. As Shannon May explains in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, when people gauge the amount of money required to address education gaps, they often overlook the power of information technology.
Miami-Dade County Public Schools Chief Information Officer Deb Karcher and EveryoneOn Communications Associate Suchita Mandavilli provide a perspective on how to assess the offers in the White House ConnectED initiative.
In telehealth news, research done by Mayo Clinic shows that digital health interventions (telemedicine, email reminders, texting, mobile applications, and more) have shown to reduce risk for cardiovascular disease outcomes by 40 percent.
And finally, as part of the Huffington Post’s series on people and issues that are shaping the world, Dana Liebelson looks at FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel. To Rosenworcel, expanding Internet access will, Liebelson writes, “help build stronger schools, improve city services, and unleash more Americans’ creative potential.”