FCC RELEASES NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULEMAKING (NPRM) ON THE FUTURE OF E-RATE
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
On June 25, 2026, the FCC voted 2-1 to release the most comprehensive E-Rate Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in the history of the program (FCC 26-41) titled ‘In the Matter of Ensuring Children's Safe Use of Screens and E-Rate-Funded Services.’ In this NPRM, the FCC seeks comment on many of the fundamental structures of the E-Rate program-- from routine administrative items such as whether out-of-date services should be removed from the Eligible Services List, to whether E-Rate should continue to cover Pre-K and Headstart students, whether E-Rate should be changed to only cover services for areas with little to no competition (rural), and up to and including whether the original 1996 Telecommunications Act E-Rate mission of classroom connectivity has been accomplished and ‘should the E-Rate program be limited or sunset to reflect today’s extensive connectivity rates?’
If you read the FCC’s press releases on this NPRM, you would come away thinking that this request for comment is solely about screen time. However, there is much, much more going on beneath the surface than whether the FCC has the right or ability to regulate screen time as a condition of E-Rate support. Instead, this is the first full top-to-bottom review of the E-Rate program since its inception in 1996 and the decisions the FCC makes in this matter could have dramatic impacts on education in your district. You should start gathering your stories so that when the NPRM is officially published in the Federal Register (estimated Mid-July) that you will be able to respond. The Comment period schedule for this NPRM is 60 days from Federal Register Publication Date (likely due mid-September) and Reply Comments due 30 days after that (likely due mid-October).
While no decisions have been made by the FCC on changing any of the rules contained within this NPRM, it is very important that the FCC and your Congressional Delegation hear from YOU. Applicants nationwide will be submitting comments on the mission-critical need of E-Rate, and you have 30 years of success stories to explain its importance to the decision-makers.
Below are a small sample of questions from the final NPRM language released on 6/26/2026. CSM has identified nearly 90 different questions in the document:
‘Given the substantial expansion of broadband access in schools and libraries over the last three decades, we seek comment on whether and to what extent the E-Rate program has fulfilled that mission and whether continued funding is consistent with Congress’s original objective. Has Congress’ directive in section 254(h) of the Communications Act been satisfied? Should the E-Rate program be limited or sunset to reflect today’s extensive connectivity rates?’
Below are a small sample of questions from the final NPRM language released on 6/26/2026. CSM has identified nearly 90 different questions in the document:
‘Given the substantial expansion of broadband access in schools and libraries over the last three decades, we seek comment on whether and to what extent the E-Rate program has fulfilled that mission and whether continued funding is consistent with Congress’s original objective. Has Congress’ directive in section 254(h) of the Communications Act been satisfied? Should the E-Rate program be limited or sunset to reflect today’s extensive connectivity rates?’
‘We seek comment on whether E-Rate support should be limited to areas where applicants face the highest costs for E-Rate supported services’
‘We further seek comment on whether section 254(b)(3)’s comparability principle—that consumers in all regions of the Nation should have access to services reasonably comparable to those available in urban areas—requires that the E-Rate discount mechanism operate identically in areas with robust broadband competition as in areas with little or none, or whether a more targeted approach would better serve the statute’s stated purpose’.
‘We seek comment on whether Head Start and pre-kindergarten students should continue to receive E-Rate program support and whether schools should be required to cost-allocate and remove Head Start and pre-kindergarten students from their funding requests.’
The full text of the E-Rate Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) can below, or using the provided link:
As you can see from the sample questions taken directly from the text of the NPRM, this request goes far beyond screen time comments. If you have questions about the context of some of the questions posed in the NPRM, your CSM Consultants can explain nuances to better inform your statements.
When writing your comments to the FCC NPRM, consider the following questions:
What does the E-Rate program mean to you as an educator?
What does E-Rate make possible in your district?
What is your E-Rate success story?
What would happen if E-Rate funding were reduced or eliminated?
What programs or services might you need to cut to cover unexpected internet costs—such as teachers, extracurricular activities, sports teams, or other supports—so students can continue learning?
Would your district have to forgo internet connectivity altogether?
In short, if E-Rate funding were reduced or removed, and your district had to pay 100% of your Internet Access services, how would that change learning in your district?
COMMENT SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
Comment date deadlines will be 60 days from date of NPRM publication in the Federal Register (estimated to be due early to mid-September) and Reply Comments will be due 30 days after that, (estimated to be mid-October), Comments and Reply Comments should be submitted to the FCC’s Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) at https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/filings/express under: WC Docket No. 13-184, WC Docket No. 26-133, and WC Docket No. 21-455.
