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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:
April 20, 2015 Travis Litman, (202) 418-2400
Email: travis.litman@fcc.gov
STATEMENT OF FCC COMMISSIONER JESSICA ROSENWORCEL 
ON PEW RESEARCH CENTER HOMEWORK GAP FINDINGS
              
Washington, D.C. – Today, the Pew Research Center released findings
regarding school-aged children and broadband access at home that is increasingly 
necessary to complete basic schoolwork.  In response, Commissioner Jessica 
Rosenworcel stated:
“I am pleased that the Pew Research Center has done the math and drawn 
attention to what I call the ‘Homework Gap.’ 1
“There was a time when doing basic schoolwork required no more than a 
little bit of quiet, a clear workspace, and a pencil.  No more.  Today, 7 in 10 
teachers assign homework that requires Internet access.  Kids may be connected in 
the classroom, but if they are disconnected at home getting basic schoolwork done 
is hard.  Researching a paper and applying for scholarships and jobs is tough 
without reliable broadband access.  But as the Pew Research Center demonstrates, 
five million American families with students at home go without regular 
broadband access – and fall into the Homework Gap.  This is the cruelest part of 
the new digital divide.  We need to bridge this gap and fix this problem because 
our shared economic future depends on it.”
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1
See, e.g., Jessica Rosenworcel, How to Close the ‘Homework Gap,’MIAMI HERALD (Dec. 5, 2014), 
http://transition.fcc.gov/files/documents/how-close-to-the-homework-gap-rosenworcel-editorial.pdf; Jessica 
Rosenworcel, Commissioner, FCC, Address at the Texas Computer Education Association (Feb. 4, 2015), 
http://www.fcc.gov/document/rosenworcel-remarks-texas-computer-education-association; Jessica Rosenworcel, 
Limited Internet Access a Challenge for Detroit Kids, DETROIT FREE PRESS (Mar. 16, 2015), 
http://transition.fcc.gov/files/documents/internet-access-a-challenge-for-detroit-kids-rosenworcel-editorial.pdf.