Oppose FCC Efforts to Cut E-Rate Bandwidth Support for Libraries

I am writing as your constituent to urge your immediate intervention regarding the FCC's current review of the E-Rate program. While framed as "modernization," this review threatens to dismantle one of America's most successful connectivity programs. E-Rate provides immense value across rural and urban areas. In rural communities, it enables libraries to afford the infrastructure necessary for high-speed access. In cities, it prevents the digital divide from becoming a permanent barrier to opportunity. E-Rate is the foundation of digital infrastructure for schools and libraries serving our most vulnerable populations nationwide. I am alarmed by the FCC's suggestion that increased nationwide connectivity and concerns over youth screen time justify funding reductions. This reasoning is fundamentally flawed. Children suffering from excessive screen time typically live in affluent households with multiple personal devices and unlimited home bandwidth. Conversely, E-Rate-dependent students often lack devices and home internet entirely. For them, the library is not a place of excess but the only location where they can complete homework, apply to college, or develop essential digital literacy skills. Using the habits of the privileged to justify cutting resources for the underserved is unacceptable public policy. Evidence demonstrates how crucial this program is. Large families living in modest apartments cannot afford both basic necessities and broadband bills. Multiple students in one household cannot share a single home computer and complete their schoolwork effectively. These students rely on library resources. Bandwidth scarcity alone makes library access essential for educational success, particularly in low-income communities where home connectivity remains unaffordable. I am equally concerned about FCC proposals to shift E-Rate certification burdens from consortia to individual libraries. The consortium model enables compliance for understaffed facilities, particularly those without technical personnel. Forcing small libraries to navigate complex FCC filing requirements independently will increase errors and reduce participation, effectively killing the program through bureaucracy rather than explicit policy. I respectfully request that you take three actions. First, exercise oversight by demanding an impact study on how E-Rate reductions would affect rural and underserved populations. Second, support legislation explicitly prohibiting the FCC from using pedagogical concerns as justification for infrastructure funding cuts. Third, coordinate bipartisan pressure ensuring the FCC understands that dismantling E-Rate will face strong opposition. Connectivity is not a luxury but a fundamental requirement for democratic and economic participation. I urge you to protect E-Rate and our most vulnerable citizens.