- FCC Chairman Requests Public Consultation on E-Rate Program
- Introduced in 1997, it offers schools discounts of 20 to 90% on the Internet.
- School bus Wi-Fi has already been removed amid concerns about educational impact
The FCC is considering ending the long-running E-Rate program in the US, which currently provides about $2 billion a year to help public facilities like schools and libraries pay for Internet connections and networking infrastructure.
Chairman Brendan Carr has ordered a review of the plan to determine whether it still serves its original purpose.
It was launched in 1997 as a way to democratize internet access during the web’s infancy, but the rise in screen time is now predicted to have an impact on education.
FCC concerned about Internet’s impact on schoolchildren
Carr referenced research linking excessive screen use to lower reading performance, lower math scores, poorer cognitive development and more distractions.
“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 in front of screens,” he said.
A notice now asks whether the E-Rate program should be limited or discontinued entirely, and the FCC is now seeking a public consultation. Some potential measures could include new safeguards around educational use, a reduction in funding, or even ending the program entirely.
The FCC already defunded Wi-Fi on school buses in an attempt to reaffirm the program’s position as one that supports educational use of the Internet, not one that provides schoolchildren with Wi-Fi for personal use.
Current discounts for schools and libraries range from 20% to 90%, with rural and low-income areas typically receiving more support. Withdrawing funding could hit these regions the hardest.
Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) warned it could reverse nearly three decades of work.
For now, the future of E-Rate remains unconfirmed.
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