Protect E-Rate Funding for Schools and Libraries

Block any effort to cut or sunset E-Rate. The FCC's recent Notice of Proposed Rulemaking explicitly asks whether the program should be "limited or sunset" — and that would be a disaster for the schools and libraries in your district that depend on it. E-Rate has delivered $2 billion a year in discounts on telecom services and equipment since 1997. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr's justification — that students spend too much time on screens — is not a reason to eliminate internet access from public libraries. Libraries serve job seekers, seniors, students without home internet, and entire communities that have no other option. Pulling this funding doesn't reduce screen time; it just cuts off access for the people who can least afford alternatives. Commissioner Anna Gomez asked Carr to remove the sunset language from the proposal and was refused. Congress needs to step in. Make clear that E-Rate is not on the table for elimination.