Fiber for Breakfast Week 30: Save Our E-Rate: The Fight to Protect Broadband for Schools and Libraries 

Fiber for Breakfast Week 30: Save Our E-Rate: The Fight to Protect Broadband for Schools and Libraries 

For nearly 30 years, E-Rate has been one of the quiet success stories of American broadband policy. It has helped move schools and libraries from limited internet access to near-universal connectivity, giving students, educators, library patrons, and communities the digital foundation they need to participate in modern life.  

But this week’s Fiber for Breakfast made it clear that E-Rate is no longer something the broadband community can take for granted. Gary sat down with Joey Wender, Executive Director of the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition (SHLB), to discuss the growing threats facing E-Rate and the broader Universal Service Fund. Wender outlined what he calls the “three Cs” now shaping the future of universal service: the Commission, the courts, and Congress.  

The most immediate concern is at the FCC, where a top-to-bottom review of Universal Service Fund programs includes the question of whether E-Rate should be terminated. For a program that helps schools and libraries pay for essential broadband service, that question alone should get the attention of every community, provider, policymaker, parent, and educator.  

Wender put it simply: “E-Rate helps schools and libraries literally pay the bills for their internet access.”  

That matters because broadband in schools and libraries is no longer just about a computer lab or a classroom connection. As Wender explained, modern school buildings depend on internet access for security systems, door locks, cameras, HVAC, communications, and countless other operational needs. If E-Rate support went away, schools would still need connectivity. The question is what they would have to cut to pay for it.  

That is what makes the debate so important. E-Rate is often discussed as an education program, and it is. But it is also an infrastructure program, an economic development program, and a community access program. Libraries remain one of the few places where anyone can walk in and get connected. For people without reliable broadband at home, libraries are where they apply for jobs, access benefits, complete schoolwork, learn digital skills, and participate in the economy.  

Gary connected that reality to what many rural communities experience every day. In places where home broadband is limited or unavailable, the school or library may be the only reliable connection point. Losing support for those institutions would not just create a budget problem. It would widen the digital divide.  

The legal fight is also continuing. Wender noted the SHLB helped defend the Universal Service Fun before the Supreme Court and is now engaged in another challenge in the Fifth Circuit. While he expressed confidence in the legal arguments, he was clear that the fight is not over.  

At the same time, Congress may offer a more constructive path. Wender pointed to bipartisan interest in modernizing universal service, especially around the contribution base that funds these programs. The funding model also needs work. Wender noted that E-Rate is supported by a shrinking base of phone revenues, which puts more pressure on the program. Instead of asking whether E-Rate should survive, he argued the focus should be on how to strengthen it for the future.  

That point connected to a larger theme in the discussion: good broadband programs work when they have clear rules, predictable frameworks, and trust in local and state implementation. Wender drew on his experience leading the Capital Projects Fund at Treasury, emphasizing that programs succeed when policymakers set clear guardrails and then allow states and communities to execute.  

The takeaway from this week’s conversation is that E-Rate is not outdated. It is foundational. 

Schools and libraries are community anchor institutions. They are part of the broadband fabric that keeps communities connected, especially in places where connectivity gaps still exist. Protecting E-Rate is about protecting networks, services, and opportunities that millions of Americans rely on every day.  

The comment window is open, and the broadband community has a role to play. If E-Rate helped build the connected classroom and the connected library, now is the time to make sure those connections are not put at risk.  

Click here for the full video.

Click here to review the slides.