Schools/Universities

This report brings together four streams of evidence that, taken together, make a compelling case for a permanent, well-funded cybersecurity program within E-rate. The evidence is consistent and overwhelming. Schools are already requesting cybersecurity funding at a scale that dwarfs what the current program can support, and the most vulnerable districts are the most active participants. The question before policymakers is not whether the need exists. The data on that is settled. The question is whether the program will be designed to meet it.

On a chilly early-February week in Chicago, Illinois, digital inclusion advocates, practitioners, and researchers gathered for the annual Net Inclusion conference, hosted by the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA). At Net Inclusion, members of the digital inclusion community share resources, brainstorm new initiatives, and teach each other about best practices to close the digital divide. A dominant theme at Net Inclusion 2026 was artificial intelligence (AI).

I want to close by reflecting on what we heard, because the arc of [this week] tells a story. We began with Senator Markey reminding us that universal service was never a narrow technical objective. It was, and remains, a moral and democratic claim. Access to education, economic opportunity, civic participation must be available to everyone, regardless of geography, income, age, or background. That is what we are really talking about when we talk about universal connectivity. The means of participation.

At the second panel of the Benton Institute for Broadband and Society’s March 5 “Telecom Act at 30” event, panelists reflected on the legacy of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and what the future holds for universal service.

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 arrived at a pivotal moment in American communications history. For decades, universal service had meant one thing: ensuring that all Americans could access basic telephone service at affordable rates through a system of implicit cross-subsidies managed largely within the monopoly structure of AT&T and its successors. But by the mid-1990s, this model faced twin pressures.

National Digital Inclusion Alliance affiliates and partners showed up en masse to the two listening sessions the National Telecommunications and Information Administration hosted on February 11 and February 18 to “gather input from stakeholders to inform NTIA’s future planning and policy development” for the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment program’s non-deployment funds. With 1,500 people registered, the first listening session was so oversubscribed that the agency hosted a second session.

Healthcare doesn’t usually begin in a classroom, but for many working families in Guilford County (NC), it does. This is thanks to a telehealth programme in Guilford County Schools, which is designed to improve access to on-demand healthcare for children. Established in 2021, the telehealth program enables students who feel sick during school time to visit an on-site medical assistant who determines their needs. For simple concerns, like a headache, the medical assistant cares for the child as needed.

States, territories, and their communities that lack sufficient internet access have been wondering what will happen to the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program's "nondeployment funds"—funds left over after a state meets BEAD’s infrastructure deployment goals.

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 turned 30 years old on February 8, 2026. As one of the principal staffers responsible for drafting the 1996 Act, I am simultaneously proud of our efforts, disappointed with some of its failings, and frustrated by the inconsistent implementation by regulators, yet pleased with our overall progress. The Telecom Act, though far from perfect, helped to usher in a competitive climate that has allowed the U.S. to innovate and lead the world in high-tech.

Thirty years ago, when I created the E-Rate program, I believed deeply that access to information and opportunity should never depend on a child’s zip code or family income. E-Rate was built on a simple idea: if we connect every school and every library to the digital world, we can unlock the full potential of every student. For three decades, E-Rate has delivered on that promise, connecting classrooms, libraries, and communities in Massachusetts and across the United States.