Schools Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition

The Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition and its partners urged the communities that depend on E-Rate to act now. The Federal Communications Commission's proposal to potentially terminate the E-Rate program was published in the Federal Register today, formally starting the clock on the public's chance to respond.

The stakes for schools, libraries, and health clinics could not be higher. Last year, the Supreme Court delivered us a historic victory in SHLB v. Consumers’ Research when the Court confirmed that the Universal Service Fund, a bipartisan program with a three-decade-long record of connecting communities across rural and urban America, is constitutional. Today we made sure the Fifth Circuit heard from the anchor institutions and the people who depend on this funding to serve their communities.

E-Rate has been, and continues to be, a critical funding source for schools and libraries and for the rural and urban communities they serve. At its core, E-Rate ensures that every student, whether from a wealthy or an underserved community, has the opportunity to learn and flourish at school and beyond. It also provides the high-speed connectivity that keeps core school and library operations running, including security systems, student transportation, HVAC controls, and student information systems.

The Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition led more than 80 organizations (including the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society) representing schools, libraries, service providers, and education leaders in sending a letter to the Federal Communications Commission urging the agency not to proceed with its proposed competitive bidding portal for the E-Rate program.

The Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition, Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) and MediaJustice filed a joint brief in the U.S.

The Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition, joined by the American Library Association, EdLiNC, and the Homework Gap Coalition, called on the Federal Communications Commission to preserve school bus Wi-Fi and hotspot lending under the E-Rate program. The urgent appeal comes as the FCC scheduled a vote that could eliminate both programs. The FCC’s proposed action would reverse its 2023 ruling clarifying that Wi-Fi on school buses is an educational purpose eligible for E-Rate funding and its 2024 order establishing hotspot lending programs for schools and libraries.

The Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition submitted comments to the Universal Service Fund (USF) Working Group, urging Congress to preserve and improve the USF as the nation’s most effective and essential broadband fund that connects anchor institutions nationwide. SHLB’s comments outline several steps to strengthen and modernize the fund, including:

The Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition and more than 80 national and state organizations urged the House of Representatives to vote NO on S.J.Res.7/H.J.Res.33—Congressional Review Act resolutions that would overturn the Federal Communications Commission’s decision to allow E-Rate funding for wireless hotspot lending by schools and libraries, and bar future Commissions from funding hotspots.