Who Stands to Lose in the Current E-Rate Debate?

On June 25, 2026, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) launched a new proceeding that could fundamentally reshape—or potentially end—one of the federal government's primary tools for closing the digital divide. The FCC's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on the E-Rate program asks some of the most consequential questions the program has faced in its nearly 30-year history: Has E-Rate fulfilled its mission? Should eligibility be narrowed? Should funding levels change? Should new conditions be attached to support? Should children's use of school technology be restricted as a condition of federal funding? The answers will affect millions of students and library patrons—most of them living in low-income neighborhoods—who depend on E-Rate-funded connectivity every day. Three groups of people are at risk in this proceeding: those who could be left out of E-Rate support entirely, those who could receive less support, and those whose learning could be constrained by new conditions attached to that support.