Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr yesterday introduced a declarative ruling that would reverse the decisions that enabled use of E-Rate funding to provide Wi-Fi on school buses. He also circulated an order for FCC reconsideration, which would end funding for Wi-Fi hotspots for children or library patrons for use outside of schools and libraries.
The press release announcing the moves says that the extension of the COVID-19 era rules exceeded the FCC’s authority. Carr also claimed the programs had a record of “poor stewardship of scarce funds, and invited waste, fraud, and abuse.”
Expansion of the Universal Service Fund (USF) Schools and Libraries program — also known as the E-Rate program — was approved by the FCC in July 2024.
Carr said expanding the E-Rate program after the pandemic was “in plain violation of the limits Congress imposed on the FCC’s authority. Indeed, the prior FCC eliminated many of the safeguards that Congress placed on those programs. The FCC also failed to demonstrate that these funding decisions would advance legitimate classroom or library purposes.”
Proponents of the added flexibility considered it part of the evolution of libraries. Larra Clark — the Deputy Director of the American Library Association’s (ALA) Public Policy and Advocacy Office and Deputy Director of the Public Library Association — told Telecompetitor in August 2024 that libraries can be enablers that help bring the benefits of the internet to more people.
Testing of school bus Wi-Fi by Google in 2018 yielded positive results.
The news of the FCC ruling elicited immediate reaction.
FCC Commissioner Anna M. Gomez said, “Millions of students and seniors depend on hotspots and school bus Wi-Fi for homework and tele-health services. Now the FCC is moving to strip that connectivity away while doing nothing to make broadband more affordable. Their latest proposals will only widen the gap between those with access to modern-day tools and those left behind. We must all fight back against this level of cruelty and indifference by this Administration.”
Benton Institute for Broadband & Society Senior Counselor Andrew Jay Schwartzman issued a statement saying, “Chairman Carr’s moves today are very unfortunate, as they further signal that the Commission is no longer prioritizing closing the digital divide. In the 21st Century, education doesn’t stop when a student leaves school and today’s actions could lead to many students having a tougher time completing homework assignments because their families lack internet access.
“The Wi-Fi on school buses is particularly helpful for students in rural areas that face long, daily commutes. The previous FCC chair turned these commutes into ‘the Homework Hour;’ Chairman Carr proposes to lock rural kids into dead zones.”
Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) said, “With today’s announcement, the Trump FCC will rip internet access away from students and educators across the country. This decision ignores the needs of American families and instead advances a damaging ideological crusade, ultimately harming students, pushing them to fall further behind their connected classmates, and widening the Homework Gap.
“It’s unfair, unnecessary, and saves no money. This decision flies in the face of the [FCC] mission and hurts learners and library patrons across the country.”
