Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and other lawmakers are urging the Federal Communications Commission to withdraw a rulemaking on possible limits to E-Rate, the federal program that discounts internet service for schools and libraries. Nearly $182 million in E-Rate support was committed to New York recipients in 2025, according to Gillibrand's announcement.
The lawmakers' letter to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, dated Oct. 15, responds to a rulemaking the commission opened in June. The FCC is seeking comment on possible changes, not implementing a cutoff.
E-Rate helps eligible schools and libraries pay for broadband connections and internal networking, including Wi-Fi. The lawmakers said the program reaches more than 96% of U.S. public schools and that more than 158,000 schools and libraries used it nationwide in 2025.
Discounts range from 20% to 90%, depending on factors that include a community's rural status and the share of students eligible for school lunch assistance, the letter says. Restricting the program to rural areas would therefore also remove support from qualifying urban and suburban schools and libraries, the lawmakers argued.
Debate over access and screen time
The FCC's June rulemaking asks whether the program should be limited or sunset and examines children's use of screens and E-Rate-funded services. It also proposes administrative and oversight changes. Gillibrand and her colleagues said concerns about screen time should be addressed without withdrawing broadband discounts from schools and libraries.
They noted that E-Rate pays for connectivity, not laptops, tablets, applications or online content. Recipients also must comply with the Children's Internet Protection Act, including internet-safety and filtering requirements. The letter argues that decisions about when students use devices in school are better handled through targeted state and local policies.
The letter says school and library connections support classroom work, assessments, communication and public access to information. Its signers argue that losing E-Rate discounts would raise costs for institutions that still need those services.
Schumer joined Gillibrand and other senators in signing the letter, along with Reps. Doris Matsui, Rob Menendez, Grace Meng and more than 60 other House Democrats.
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