Attend AnchorNets

Join us October 7–9 in Arlington, VA. You'll be in the room with the E-Rate experts tracking every development, alongside peers navigating the same uncertainty you are. The connections and lessons that come out of those conversations are hard to find anywhere else, and they matter more this year than ever.

Watch our Webinar Recording

The FCC released a draft proposal that asks whether E-Rate should be limited or terminated. This webinar will explain what the proposal says and what it could mean for schools and libraries.

The SHLB Coalition walked through the main parts of the proposal, how to file a comment with the FCC, what to include, and what resources are available to you.

Watch now to learn what is in the proposal and how to respond.

Watch Here!

• E-Rate lowers the cost of the broadband, internet, and internal network services that schools and libraries buy. The support arrives as a discount on those specific purchases.

• The discount is based on need. Schools and libraries serving more low-income communities receive larger discounts, ranging from 20% to 90% of eligible costs.

• Funding covers only eligible services and equipment, and applicants must run a competitive bidding process to select their providers. The competitive bidding process ensures that cost is the primary factor in applicants’ choice of provider.

• E-Rate does not pay for laptops, tablets, software, or digital content. The program supports connectivity and the network that carries it.

• The program operates under an annual spending cap, and participants are subject to audits and oversight.

• E-Rate supports more than 100,000 schools and roughly 11,000 libraries across the country, providing approximately $3 billion in discounts every year.