[OPLINLIST] The FCC asks whether to end E-Rate
Don Yarman
don at oplin.ohio.gov
Tue Jun 16 08:23:10 EDT 2026
We encourage libraries to save the date July 16 and register for SHLB's
webinar
<https://www.shlb.org/events/the-future-of-e-rate-inside-the-fccs-proposal-and-how-to-make-your-voice-heard/register>
about *new threats to the E-Rate program*. See details below.
Don Yarman (he/him/his)
Director, Ohio Public Library Information Network
2323 W Fifth Ave Suite 130, Columbus OH 43204
don at oplin.ohio.gov | 614.728.5250
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Joey Wender <jwender at shlb.org>
Date: Thu, Jun 11, 2026 at 4:20 PM
Subject: The FCC is asking whether to end E-Rate. Join us as we respond.
Free webinar July 16 + AnchorNets this October
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<https://us.list-manage.com/B7Eia0MFPFO?e=37b53ba065&c2id=98fae2489b341bd695f6ee85cad530c8>
Hi Don,
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has released a draft proposal
<https://us.list-manage.com/1BZWXitycw3?e=37b53ba065&c2id=98fae2489b341bd695f6ee85cad530c8>
asking whether the E-Rate program should be "limited or sunset." This
attack poses an existential threat to E-Rate and we're not going to stand
by while a program that connects more than 100,000 schools and 11,000
libraries gets quietly unwound. We need you to be a part of how we respond.
The first step is our *free webinar on July 16*
<https://us.list-manage.com/fZX36oiBM68?e=37b53ba065&c2id=98fae2489b341bd695f6ee85cad530c8>.
It's the clearest path to making your voice count in this proceeding, and
we hope you'll register and join us. You’ll learn:
-
What the proposal actually says
-
What's at stake
-
How and when to file a comment with the FCC
Register for Future of E-Rate Webinar
<https://us.list-manage.com/bwMzr4Qoesf?e=37b53ba065&c2id=98fae2489b341bd695f6ee85cad530c8>
From there, we hope to see you at *AnchorNets 2026*
<https://us.list-manage.com/72l0xibTYzJ?e=37b53ba065&c2id=98fae2489b341bd695f6ee85cad530c8>,
taking place from October 7-9 in Arlington, VA. You'll be in the room with
the experts tracking every development on E-Rate and with peers navigating
the same uncertainty you are. The connections and lessons from those
conversations are hard to find anywhere else.
The FCC points to E-Rate's success, noting that nearly every school now has
high-speed internet, and suggests the job is done. The reality is the
opposite. That connectivity exists because E-Rate sustains it year after
year. Bandwidth needs grow, equipment ages, and in many buildings broadband
now runs everything from online testing to door locks and HVAC. A network
is a continuing commitment.
The deepest harm would fall on the communities that can least afford it,
since E-Rate's largest discounts go to schools and libraries in
lower-income areas. Pull that funding, and the digital divide only grows.
The proposal also asks whether E-Rate support should be limited to rural
areas, which would draw a line between a disadvantaged child in a rural
town and a disadvantaged child in a city. Congress never wrote that
distinction into the law, and there's no reason to invent it now.
The good news is that this is a proposal, not a decision. The FCC has to
take public comments, and every one of our voices carries weight.
I encourage you to read SHLB’s full argument in our op-ed for the Benton
Institute for Broadband and Society
<https://shlb.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b8f06a885587335ee5c6b1717&id=d84379a328&e=37b53ba065>
.
Together, we will make our voices heard, and together we will protect
E-Rate for the schools and libraries that depend on it.
Joey Wender
Executive Director, SHLB Coalition
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*Copyright (C) 2026 SHLB Coalition. All rights reserved.*
Our mailing address is:
SHLB Coalition 1250 Connecticut Ave NW Suite 700 Washington, DC 20036 USA
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