SHLB Coalition and More Than 80 Organizations Urge FCC to Reject Proposed E-Rate Bidding Portal

WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 23, 2026) – The Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition today led more than 80 organizations representing schools, libraries, service providers and education leaders in sending a sign-on letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) urging the agency not to proceed with its proposed competitive bidding portal for the E-Rate program.

The letter responds to the FCC's draft Report and Order and Order on Reconsideration that would create a new competitive bidding portal and amend E-Rate program rules. The coalition argues that the proposed portal is overly burdensome and could ultimately deter schools, libraries and service providers from participating in the nation's largest federal educational technology program.

"We are concerned that the establishment of a Bidding Portal and its associated complex requirements and procedures as proposed in the Draft Order is not only unnecessary, but undermines the good work being done to streamline the E-Rate program. We respectfully request that the Commission not proceed with its proposed implementation of the Bidding Portal," the organizations wrote. "We are particularly concerned with the impact that the Bidding Portal and its attendant requirements would have on small and rural schools and libraries, who may lack the capacity to implement and manage these new program requirements."

The letter follows a series of meetings between SHLB, partner organizations and senior officials across the FCC, including staff from the Wireline Competition Bureau and advisors to Chairman Brendan Carr and Commissioners Anna Gomez and Olivia Trusty. Ex parte filings summarizing those meetings are available here and here. SHLB and its partners also filed a more comprehensive ex parte letter here.

The signatories point to a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that reviewed federal funding programs and found E-Rate to be the only program with documented procedures across all nine areas of safeguards against fraud, waste and abuse — calling into question the need for a sweeping overhaul of a system already proven effective.

The letter also raises concerns about potential conflicts between the portal's framework and existing state and local procurement requirements, and notes that the draft order does not address the costs of creating, implementing and managing the portal.

While opposing the Bidding Portal, the coalition expressed appreciation for other elements of the draft order that would streamline E-Rate administration, including eliminating FCC Form 486, creating a process for transitioning between service providers during the funding year and providing an additional 15 days to request an extension of the invoice filing deadline.

Should the FCC proceed with some form of bidding reform, the signatories urged the Commission to consider delaying implementation until at least Funding Year 2029, opening a public comment proceeding, conducting beta testing and holding training for all stakeholders.

Signatories to the letter include SHLB Coalition, EdLiNC, American Library Association, State E-Rate Coordinators' Alliance, CoSN and more than 80 additional national and state education, library, and additional organizations and companies.

Read the full sign-on letter here.

Media Availability
Joey Wender is available for interviews. For more information, visit www.shlb.org or follow @SHLBcoalition on LinkedIn, Facebook or X.

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About SHLB: The SHLB Coalition is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) advocacy organization that supports open, affordable, high-quality broadband connections for anchor institutions and their surrounding communities. The SHLB Coalition is based in Washington, D.C., and has a diverse membership of commercial and non-commercial organizations across the United States. To learn more, visit www.shlb.org.