E-Rate Program
The E-Rate program was established in 1996 under the Telecommunications Act of 1996 to provide discounts on telecommunications, internet access, and internal network connections for schools and libraries. In 2014 and 2019, the E-Rate program was modernized including adjusting the cap to account for inflation. E-Rate remains a critical program for ensuring access to technology in education, and recent changes reflect the evolving needs of schools, libraries, and students in a digital world.
Take Action
Help Strengthen ULC's Comments Defending E-Rate to the FCC
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is seeking comments on a proposal asking whether the essential E-Rate program — which for nearly 30 years has provided US libraries and schools of all kinds with the affordable broadband access they need and played a pivotal role in narrowing the digital divide — should be drastically narrowed or even eliminated. Specifically, the proposal could narrow its scope exclusively to rural areas, ignoring the need that remains in urban and suburban communities nationwide — hurting ALL public libraries.
Libraries and schools everywhere are fighting back, and we need your voices. Soon, the FCC will open a 60 day period for legally mandated comments on its proposal. ULC will be filing comments, and the more examples we have of how E-Rate has helped urban libraries, the stronger they will be. Please share your story with eottenfeld@urbanlibraries.org!
For a wealth of information and tools, including a way to file your own comments with the FCC, please visit the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition (SHLB)’s essential SaveOurERate.com website. Important note: though the comment period has not officially opened, you can still file comments right now.