E-Rate, According to State E-Rate Coordinators

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) launched a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on the E-Rate program, asking if E-Rate is still necessary and how the program should change. This proceeding could drastically impact the work of the schools and libraries that rely on E-Rate funding. Every state has E-Rate coordinators that help schools and libraries navigate the federal program. Larger libraries (those with more financial resources) tend to use consultants, while smaller libraries with less capacity rely on the state E-Rate coordinator. We sat down with a handful of E-Rate coordinators to ask for their thoughts on E-Rate and the program's future.