Save Internet Connectivity for Public Schools and Libraries

Take Action

For nearly 30 years, public schools and libraries in rural, suburban, and urban areas have had help from the federal government to give students access to free, high-speed broadband internet.

The E-Rate program helps 93% of all public schools pay for internet access by providing discounts of 20-90% on costs.

Now, that program is in peril.

The Trump administration is proposing to severely limit or completely eliminate the E-Rate program.

If they do, states and school districts will have to make a tough decision: cover the full cost of internet access or cut it off completely.

The Federal Communications Commission's (FCC’s) changes will harm the students who need it most: Those who rely on schools and libraries for digital access because their families can’t afford electronic devices or high-speed internet connections.

You can help save the E-Rate program by submitting an official comment that spells out how the FCC’s proposed changes would hurt your school and your students and urge them to strengthen, not weaken, the E-Rate program.

Submissions are due by October 13, 2026.

Want more info about the E-Rate program and the FCC’s proposals? Check out our FAQs.

How to Submit a Public Comment

Fill out the form on this page to let us know you plan to submit comments and to connect with someone for help.
Draft and finalize your submission. You can use our sample as a guideline, but the FCC will only count submissions that are personalized.

Please be sure to customize your public comment with your experience and views about how access to the internet and technology is critical for student success.
Go to the FCC Electronic Comment Filing System. Use “express comments” to copy and paste your public comment, or “standard filing” to upload a word document or PDF.
Enter the relevant Proceeding/Docket Numbers one-by-one: 26-133, 13-184, 21-93, and 21-455.
Fill in your name and contact details.
Type or upload your comments.
Review and submit your filing. Save the confirmation number.

Sample Letter to Personalize

Brendan Carr
Chairman
Federal Communications Commission
45 L Street NE
Washington, DC 20554

Federal Communications Commission
RE: WC Docket No. 13-184 – E-Rate Program Review NPRM

Dear Chairman Carr:

My name is [YOUR NAME], and I am a [YOUR ROLE] at [YOUR SCHOOL] in [CITY, STATE]. I am writing to urge the Federal Communications Commission to preserve and protect the E-Rate program and to oppose any proposal that would reduce, limit, or sunset this vital source of support for schools and libraries that millions of students depend on every single day.

At [SCHOOL NAME], reliable broadband access is essential to teaching and learning. Every day, our students use the internet to access digital curriculum, complete assignments, conduct research, take assessments, communicate with teachers, and build the skills they will need for college, career, and civic life. E-Rate support helps ensure that these opportunities are available to all students, regardless of where they live or their family’s financial circumstances.

IN YOUR OWN WORDS, DESCRIBE HOW E-RATE INTERNET ACCESS AFFECTS YOUR STUDENTS AND YOUR SCHOOL. CONSIDER AND/OR ANSWER ANY COMBINATION OF THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:
•    WHAT WOULD YOUR students LOSE IF E-RATE FUNDING WERE CUT?
•    HOW DO YOUR STUDENTS USE SCHOOL INTERNET ACCESS?
•    ARE THERE STUDENTS WHO HAVE NO INTERNET AT HOME AND RELY ENTIRELY ON SCHOOL CONNECTIVITY?
•    HAS E-RATE ENABLED SPECIFIC PROGRAMS, TOOLS, OR SERVICES THAT MATTER TO YOUR COMMUNITY?
•    IS THERE DATA AVAILABLE ABOUT INTERNET USE OR ACCESSIBILITY IN YOUR COMMUNITY?

For nearly 30 years, E-Rate has helped ensure that students in low-income urban neighborhoods and rural communities have access to the same tools as students in wealthier districts. While the program has done a stellar job in reaching its intended goals, proposals to sunset the program or restrict it to only certain schools would be catastrophic. Cutting this program would only deepen the inequities that public education is meant to overcome. Students cannot fully participate in modern learning environments without reliable internet access, and schools cannot effectively prepare students for success without it.

IN YOUR OWN WORDS, DESCRIBE WHAT THE IMPACT WOULD BE IF E-RATE FUNDING WERE REDUCED OR ELIMINATED. CONSIDER:
•    ADDITIONAL COSTS YOUR SCHOOL OR DISTRICT WOULD FACE
•    SPECIFIC PROGRAMS THAT WOULD BE AFFECTED
•    WHY MAINTAINING E-RATE SUPPORT IS IMPORTANT FOR YOUR COMMUNITY

Rather than questioning whether this program should exist, the FCC should be asking how to make it work even better for students, educators, and communities. The internet is a key piece of infrastructure to our PreK-12 education system. E-Rate is how schools gain access to it.

I strongly urge the Commission to reject any proposal that would reduce, limit, or sunset E-Rate funding and instead continue supporting this essential program and protect the access for the students who need it most.

Preserving E-Rate means preserving educational opportunity for millions of students, including those in communities like mine.

Respectfully,
[YOUR FULL NAME]
[YOUR TITLE]
[SCHOOL NAME]
[DISTRICT NAME]
[CITY, STATE]

FAQs on the E-Rate Program

What is the E-Rate program?

The official name of the E-Rate program is the Schools and Libraries Universal Service Fund Program. Created by the Telecommunications Act of 1996, it provides affordable high-speed broadband and telecommunications services for schools and libraries.

The program provides discounts of 20% to 90% on internet access and internal network connections to eligible schools and libraries.

Discount levels are based on the concentration of students eligible for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP)1—a standard proxy for poverty—and on whether an institution is located in a rural area.

The schools and libraries in the highest-poverty and most rural areas receive the largest discounts.

Why is E-Rate needed?

Students cannot fully participate in modern learning environments without reliable internet access, and schools cannot effectively prepare students for success without it.

Who created E-Rate?

Congress created E-Rate to ensure that all students have access to essential online learning tools. About 25 percent of all school-aged children live in households without broadband access or a web-enabled device such as a computer or tablet, according to recent NEA research.

How much does the E-Rate Program cost?

In Funding Year 2025—which runs from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026—E-Rate committed approximately $2.66 billion in support to schools and libraries across the country.

Who benefits from the E-Rate program?

96,416 of the nation's 100,083 public schools receive E-Rate support—a participation rate of 96.3%.

The students who benefit from the E-Rate overwhelmingly come from low-income households. Of the 52 million full-time students in E-Rate-supported schools, approximately 31.2 million—nearly 60 percent—are eligible for the National School Lunch Program.

How could E-Rate change?

The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking published by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) could end the E-Rate program entirely, redirect all funding to rural schools, withhold funding from schools and libraries deemed out of compliance with the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA), end support for PreK and Head Start programs, and more.

Who would suffer?

Weakening E-Rate would harm the students who need it most: Those who rely on schools and libraries for digital access because their families can’t afford electronic devices or high-speed internet connections.

What should be done instead?

The FCC should ask how to make E-Rate work even better for students, educators, and communities. The internet is a key piece of the infrastructure of our PreK-12 education system, and E-Rate is how schools gain access to it.

How can you help?

The FCC’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking was published in the Federal Register on August 14, 2026. The sooner you submit your comments, the better. The deadline for submission is October 13, 2026.