Although the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) remains an independent agency of the government with oversight by Congress, as has been the case in the Trump-Vance administration, the agency’s role in federal operations has shifted to following the administration’s will and agenda. Current FCC Chairman Brendan Carr was appointed by Trump during his first administration and Carr’s background includes Writing the Project 2025 chapter about the FCC.
Perhaps it is little surprise that one of the most important resources in public schools and public libraries – the Internet –is on the fcc’s chopping block.
e-rate program Helps bridge the digital divide by providing schools and libraries access to affordable Internet and telecommunications services. As more and more services are available only online, the e-rate program has been important in keeping people connected, especially in smaller and rural areas. With widespread access to physical and digital content, it is easy to think of schools and libraries as places of learning. But those digital services are not free, and most of these public institutions benefit from e-rates. they have to.
Digital connectivity through the e-rate program is not free. Rather, it is waived based on several qualifications:
- 20-90% of eligible costs can be covered through E-Rate programs, with schools and libraries in poorer communities receiving greater discounts;
- To receive funding, schools and libraries have to go through their own specific process to bid for these services, which means they’re getting the most competitive prices and packages for starters (as anyone familiar with the bidding process knows, this doesn’t mean these institutions are getting the best options – they’re just getting the most affordable!);
- Laptops, computers and other physical devices are ineligible for e-Rate, as it is limited in connectivity;
- There is a limit to how much money is available to each institution through e-Rate each year and institutions can be monitored and audited at any time.
literary activism
News you can use plus tips and tools to fight against censorship and other bookish activism!
according to School Health and Library Broadband Alliance, More than 100,000 schools and approximately 11,000 libraries across the country participate in e-RateThat adds up to about $3 billion annually. you can find out Where and how schools and libraries in your area benefit from e-RateAgain, thanks for the tremendous insight into the program.
FCC wants to change e-rate. Carr believes that students are getting “too much screen time”, and as a result, These exemptions should be severely reduced or eliminated. He noted that as a result of spending hours a day on computers, students are spending less time reading and engaging with books.
What Carr doesn’t say is that this is a deliberate and calculated attack on public institutions, linked to the same ideology behind the right-wing’s ongoing attacks on these institutions. That is, the same lies about schools and libraries promoting “inappropriate” material are behind the e-rate cut proposal – if and where the right can intervene and remove access to information and facts from the public (and especially children!), the more they believe they will be able to control the future of authoritarian regimes. It is no coincidence that book ban and curriculum legislation is moving through Congress at the same time a proposal to cut e-rates comes up. It is no coincidence that all of these are aligned with privatizing education (or, in the correct language, “providing educational choice”) through voucher schemes that steal taxpayer money to serve the desires of the rich and well-connected.
It’s thrilling to read these proposals under the FCC banner “Ensuring that it meets the vision of Congress.” This is a matter of public, not politics.
E-rates help the poorest and most vulnerable people access one of society’s most important utilities at this time: the Internet. The same Internet that Congress members are trying to snatch from the public Into the pockets of technocrats and censors through blatant lies about “child safety”.
Ending e-rates won’t just affect young people, although they will be disproportionately affected. Cuts to e-rates mean that people who rely on libraries for Internet access for any number of activities from seeking entertainment to filling out job applications – tasks increasingly performed only online – may lose access or find it severely limited. This kind of strangulation is deliberate, and will also lead to increased censorship in libraries. If the budget is now divided between providing Internet access and making books available for users to borrow in a small, rural library, it is likely that the money will go to the Internet rather than content. This will limit the types of materials available.
The closure of the e-rate program will also have a direct impact on democratic engagement. Learning where and how to vote in one’s community often requires access to the Internet, as does locating a sample ballot and researching the candidates running in the election. In many communities, information about those candidates is already behind a news paywall, meaning that if users do not pay for those news outlets they must use library databases to read their profiles.
This isn’t the FCC’s first attempt to change e-rates, either. Last year, the F.C.C. Funding eliminated for libraries and schools offering Wi-Fi hotspots. Wireless internet access on school buses was also cut.
In an era of ever-shrinking library budgets, e-rates are important.
In an era of ever-increasing authoritarianism, it is also necessary to take steps against extremism that directly harms the people.
so what happens now?
The FCC will soon seek public comment on the future of Ertes. It’s time for you to speak out about how important it is for public schools and libraries to have affordable Internet access. These cuts will disproportionately impact rural and small communities, the same places the Trump-Vance administration targets for ongoing support — the kind of support that these communities have more about access to quality information and facts than actual party allegiance.
Save our e-rate It’s tracking when the FCC will open its comment period. Keep your eye on this landing pageAnd when it opens, provide clear feedback to the FCC about the impact of cutting discounted Internet rates on public schools and libraries. As a taxpayer, your input on this is important, because your money is being spent in supporting these institutions.
The same coalition of organizations behind Save Our E-Rates is hosting a webinar to provide more information and insight about the program and what’s at stake. You can sign up for the free eventWhich will run on July 17 at 2 pm Eastern time.
Consortium for School Networking (COSN), the American Library Association (ALA), and school superintendents association (AASA) There are petitions available for everyone to sign. They will go directly to Congress MPs and urge them to take action against such cuts. If you are not a member of either of these organizations, consider signing the ALA petition, as well as contacting your House Representative and both of your state senators. You can do this before the FCC comment period.
For more information and to stay up to date on the latest news related to the FCC and E-Rates, explore the wealth of resources. School, Health and Library Broadband Alliance.
