Libraries

The E-Rate program, which helps connect schools and libraries to the internet at discounted rates, is under review by the Federal Communications Commission. Educators and advocates are bracing for the funding to shrink or be eliminated. The agency's recent focus on the program has left educators including David Thurston on edge. Thurston oversees technology for the 33 school districts nested inside California's San Bernardino County.

The Federal Communications Commission's move to potentially gut or end E-Rate is just the latest under Chairman Brendan Carr to place limits on the program.

A few weeks after Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr called for a broad review of the 30-year-old federal E-rate program, the FCC issued a notice of proposed rulemaking June 26 that floated the idea of ending the program. Education leaders and experts on the digital divide have since weighed in, arguing that would be a grave mistake.

On June 25, 2026, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) launched a new proceeding that could fundamentally reshape—or potentially end—one of the federal government's primary tools for closing the digital divide. The FCC's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on the E-Rate program asks some of the most consequential questions the program has faced in its nearly 30-year history: Has E-Rate fulfilled its mission? Should eligibility be narrowed? Should funding levels change?

The Federal Communications Commission launched a proceeding that aims to empower parents and better protect children when using networks and services eligible for discounts under the FCC’s E-Rate program, including by limiting screen time. The Notice seeks to ensure that E-Rate-funded networks and services are being used for educational purposes, while also strengthening E-Rate program integrity and streamlining program administration to support learning opportunities.

“Today’s FCC vote is a deeply troubling step toward weakening E-Rate, a universal program that has connected millions of students, teachers, schools, and libraries—in urban and rural communities alike—to the internet for 30 years,” said Sen Ed Markey (D-MA). “This rulemaking goes far beyond reviewing the impact of screen time on students and undermines educational equality, harms our economic competitiveness, and threatens to reverse three decades of settled law.

Advocates for the E-Rate program are urging the Federal Communications Commission to reconsider and revise a notice of proposed rulemaking that poses questions and seeks comment on that program's administration, continuation and future. The FCC is scheduled to vote on the proposal at its monthly open meeting on June 25.

Illinoisans now will have access to a large collection of high-quality digital information and educational resources for free by going to their local library or the Illinois State Library’s website. The Illinois Reliable Information Sources, or IRIS, program was announced by Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias. The state entered a contract with EBSCO Information Services—a digital library resource program used by universities, schools and libraries—to provide access to more than 50 of their databases to all Illinois residents.

The Federal Communications Commission's Office of Managing Director announced that the proposed universal service contribution factor for the third quarter of 2026 will be 0.388 or 38.8 percent. Contributions to the federal universal service support mechanisms are determined using a quarterly contribution factor calculated by the FCC.

The Federal Communications Commission released a draft proposal that should alarm schools and libraries around the country. Tucked inside a long document is a direct question: should the E-Rate program be “limited or sunset”? When E-Rate began in the late 1990s, most schools and libraries had little or no internet access.