FCC Reviews E-Rate School Internet Subsidy Amid Screen-Time Concerns

The Federal Communications Commission has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to review the E-Rate program, which subsidizes internet costs for schools and libraries. In a June hearing, Chairman Brendan Carr emphasized “to better protect children when using E-Rate-funded networks, including to limit screen time.” The agency’s review could alter how the subsidy is administered, potentially increasing the monthly bills that districts currently receive through the program.

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Created by Congress in 1996, E-Rate was intended to raise the 14 % of schools and libraries with internet access at the time to today’s near-100 % coverage. The subsidy is funded through the Universal Service Fund, which the Supreme Court recently upheld as constitutional. The FCC has overseen the program under both Democratic and Republican administrations.

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For districts in sparsely populated areas, the subsidy is critical. Patrick Mayer, superintendent of Alaska’s Gateway School District, notes that the district spends more than $500,000 annually to keep six schools online, saying the connection “means the difference between having a school in the 21st century…or a school in the 20th century.” In many rural locales, competition among internet service providers is nonexistent, making the E-Rate funds the only viable means to afford connectivity.

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The FCC’s proposal cites growing research on children’s screen time, echoing recent legislation in Alabama, Tennessee, Utah and Virginia that reevaluates technology use in classrooms. The Los Angeles Unified School District has already adopted a screen-time-limiting policy. Bob Bocher, senior fellow with the American Library Association, cautions that because E-Rate is embedded in the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the FCC “likely cannot fully eliminate it,” though it could impose “a thousand cuts” through added regulations.

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• “There's no doing without,” — David Thurston, Technology Director, San Bernardino County

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• “We believe there are ways of strengthening school policies to promote more limited and privacy-protecting use of EdTech without taking away critical E-Rate funding,” — Josh Golin, Executive Director, Fairplay

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• “death by a thousand rules and regulations.” — Bob Bocher, Senior Fellow, American Library Association

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• “It means the difference between having a school in the 21st century,” — Patrick Mayer, Superintendent, Alaska Gateway School District

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