FCC Considers Scaling Back E-Rate Program Amid Screen-Time Concerns

On June 16, 2026 the Federal Communications Commission voted 2-1 to adopt a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that asks whether the E-Rate program— a federal discount initiative that funds broadband for schools and libraries—should be “limited or sunset” now that “extensive connectivity rates” exist. The NPRM invites comment on reorienting the program toward issues such as screen-time limits, online safety, and potential waste, fraud, or abuse.

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Created in 1997, E-Rate was designed to support basic internet access for educational institutions. Over three decades the program expanded from modest pilot funding to a nationwide effort that now reaches “nearly every school district in the U.S.” according to FCC filings.

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• Brendan Carr, FCC Chairman, leads the proposal.

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• Anna Gómez, the commission’s sole Democratic commissioner, voted to approve the notice but warned against eliminating the program.

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• Paul Lekas, executive vice president for global public policy at the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA), represents industry concerns.

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• Alisa Valentin, broadband policy director at Public Knowledge, voices civil-society opposition.

Public Knowledge Opposes Efforts To Undermine Schools and Libraries Connectivity Program

• A coalition of E-Rate advocates—including the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition, American Library Association, AASA (School Superintendents Association), American Federation of School Administrators, National Education Association, State E-Rate Coordinators’ Alliance, and Consortium for School Networking—submitted a joint letter urging the FCC to drop any sunset language.

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• The program’s annual budget is cited as $2 billion in the FCC’s introduction and as $3 billion in later remarks, creating a discrepancy.

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• FCC Chair Carr cited internal data indicating “more than half of students now use a computer for up to four hours a day, and a quarter of them spend more than four hours on screens.”

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• Six states have enacted screen-time bans or limits, and more than a dozen have introduced similar proposals.

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Carr argues that schools have “experimented with a massive increase in screen time” and that E-Rate’s original focus on basic connectivity has “expanded exponentially.” The NPRM asks whether the program has fulfilled its mission and whether continued funding aligns with Congress’s original objectives. The commission also proposes evaluating whether discounts should be limited to rural or single-provider markets where broadband costs remain high.

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Critics contend that conflating screen-time concerns with broadband access risks widening the digital divide. SIIA’s Paul Lekas warned that the notice “conflates two very different things: screen time and connectivity.” Gomez emphasized that eliminating E-Rate would contradict the Department of Education’s push for AI and digital literacy. Public Knowledge’s Alisa Valentin described the NPRM as a “politically motivated” effort that could “play up the politics of deservingness” and undermine universal broadband availability.

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• Budget figure: sources list both $2 billion and $3 billion annual expenditures.

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• Statutory authority: a coalition letter asserts that “nothing in the E-Rate statute empowers the FCC to end the program,” yet the NPRM includes sunset language.

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• Scope of responsibility: Gomez argues that decisions about screen-time belong to “homes and classrooms… local, state and federal legislators,” not the FCC, highlighting a gap between agency intent and perceived jurisdiction.

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• “Over the last decade, school districts across the country experimented with a massive increase in screen time for students,” — Brendan Carr, FCC Chairman

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• “conflates two very different things: screen time and connectivity,” — Paul Lekas, SIIA Executive Vice President

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• “We cannot elevate national expectations for digital and AI literacy while simultaneously stripping away the digital tools required to meet them,” — Anna Gómez, FCC Commissioner

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• “The following can be attributed to Alisa Valentin, Broadband Policy Director at Public Knowledge: “FCC Chair Carr continues to show a pattern seizing politically motivated opportunities to cast doubt on long-standing, successful agency efforts, including core Universal Service Fund programs like E-Rate and Lifeline.” — Alisa Valentin, Public Knowledge Broadband Policy Director

Public Knowledge Opposes Efforts To Undermine Schools and Libraries Connectivity Program

• “The FCC is not the nation's parent. It is not the nation's teacher. It is not the nation's school board.” — Anna Gómez, FCC Commissioner

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The FCC will accept public comments on the NPRM through a deadline set later this year. Based on stakeholder feedback, the commission may issue a final rule that either narrows, reorients, or maintains the existing E-Rate framework, with potential legislative scrutiny from Congress regarding the agency’s authority to sunset the program.

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