“B” Is for Broadband: The Alarming Cost of Subsidizing Internet Access for Preschools

Under the Biden Administration, the Federal Communications Commission expanded the E-Rate broadband subsidy program to provide free Wi-Fi on school buses and Wi-Fi hotspot devices for off-campus use by school-age children, despite lacking congressional authorization. This expansion wastes taxpayer money and encroaches on parental authority over children’s screen use and should be ended. This expansion was not the only waste; the E-Rate program has provided excessive subsidies to preschools, all of which raises serious concerns about the program’s integrity and susceptibility to waste, fraud, and abuse. Policymakers need to overturn the previous Administration’s program expansions and audit and reform the program in its entirety.