Schools and libraries across the US are urging the Federal Communications Commission to abandon a proposal that could sharply reduce or eliminate E-Rate, a roughly $2 billion-a-year program that helps connect students and library visitors to the internet. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has criticized districts for a "massive increase in screen time" and argued the program expanded beyond its original purpose. In June, the FCC voted 2-1 to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking asking whether E-Rate should be "limited or sunset."
Opponents say the FCC is overstepping. The American Library Association told the agency that E-Rate is mandated by Congress and that the FCC lacks authority to terminate it. The group also said the FCC has no legal standing to regulate screen time or determine educational outcomes, since those decisions belong to local school boards and libraries. State groups from Texas, New York, and Alabama filed similar objections, with the Texas Library Association noting that only 35 percent of Texas public libraries receive E-Rate discounts, compared with 65 percent nationwide.
Commenters also offered concrete stakes. Paul Lapka, principal of Rock Valley Christian School in Iowa, said his school's annual internet cost is about $3,120, with E-Rate covering roughly half. The American Indian Higher Education Consortium asked the FCC to expand eligibility for Tribal colleges, while the New York Library Association warned that cutting E-Rate would force libraries to reduce programs and services just to keep internet access running.
The FCC's proposal itself argues that broadband access in schools and libraries has expanded dramatically over three decades, so the program may have fulfilled its mission. But the record assembled this week suggests that many communities still depend on E-Rate, and the legal question of whether the FCC can end the program remains unresolved.