E-rate and Emergency Connectivity Fund Programs

The E-rate program has been the most successful funding source for school and library broadband since its inception in 1996. As the digital landscape has evolved, so too has E-rate. The Federal Communications Commission’s reforms in 2014 enabled schools and libraries to obtain fiber connections more easily and augmented funding for internal connections, such as Wi-Fi equipment. In 2021, Congress built upon the foundation of E-rate by creating the Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF), a temporary program that allows schools and libraries to extend high-quality broadband service to student, teacher, and library patron homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

For the E-rate program to thrive, it must continue adapting to changes in the marketplace. The additional reforms below could permit the E-rate and ECF programs to serve the greater community: 

• Congress should provide more ECF funding as a long-term solution to the Homework Gap, or the difficulty students experience completing homework when they lack internet access at home.
• The FCC should provide E-rate funding for cybersecurity. 
• The FCC should waive the cost allocation rule, which would allow schools and libraries to share their E-rate built networks with surrounding homes and businesses.
• The FCC should continue to streamline the E-rate application process.

Key Documents

SHLB's Advocacy

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