1. United States
2. Pa.
3. Letter

Press the FCC to keep the E-Rate program intact. The FCC voted 2-1 to launch a broad review that could scale back or eliminate a program that distributes more than $2 billion a year to over 106,000 schools and 12,500 libraries nationwide. That review needs to stop. E-Rate was never a one-time fix. Keeping schools and libraries connected is an ongoing cost, and without these discounts, institutions would have to cut staff and services to cover the bills. School districts in San Bernardino County, California pay tens of thousands of dollars a month for internet access. A remote Alaska district with fewer than 400 students spends more than half a million dollars a year just to connect six schools. The FCC cited screen time concerns as a reason for this review. That is not a serious justification for gutting a program this essential. The fact that E-Rate succeeded in getting schools and libraries online is not a reason to end it. Please push the FCC to preserve this program in full.