Libraries

John Windhausen recently announced his decision to step down as Executive Director of the SHLB Coalition, explaining that at 66 years old, it is the right time for him to begin winding down professionally. In his statement, Windhausen noted, “Our advocacy is entering a phase where it will need to ramp up significantly, particularly with changes in the presidential administration.

The fate of the $8 billion Universal Service Fund (USF) now lies in the hands of the Supreme Court, which has the power to determine whether the subsidy program is unconstitutional. The legality issue concerns the Federal Communications Commission’s choice to delegate the administration of USF programs (Connect America Fund, Lifeline, E-Rate and Rural Health Care) to a private third party—the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC). The Sixth and Eleventh Circuits have already ruled to uphold the constitutionality of the USF’s current funding mechanism.

Former Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai said Congress should fund the $8.1 billion Universal Service Fund through annual appropriations. “I do think that the time has come for Congress to shift this to a general appropriation,” said Pai, FCC chairman from 2017 to 2021. “[If USF were funded by appropriation] we wouldn’t have this situation now where we’re essentially getting more and more money from a declining base of contributors.”

In October and November, the SHLB Coalition received seven outstanding nominations for our annual board election. Midway through the election season, one of our current board members unexpectedly stepped down due to personal health reasons, increasing our open seats from two to three. One of these seats is always designated for a staff member at an Anchor Institution. Voting ran through November 5.

Chris Mitchell speaks with Andy Schwartzman, Senior Counselor at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, about pressing legal issues affecting telecommunications policy in the U.S.

The future of the $8.5 billion Universal Service Fund (USF), which supports broadband access in schools, libraries, and rural communities, hangs in the balance as three critical court cases move forward. In a rare twist, two cases saw oral arguments on the same day, adding a sense of urgency to the outcomes. These decisions could redefine affordable internet connectivity for students, families, and communities nationwide. We summarize each case and outline the stakes for the E-rate and other USF programs. As we await the courts’ decisions, SHLB is not just observing from the sidelines.

The Federal Communications Commission received 2,734 applications from schools, libraries, and consortia of schools and libraries to participate in the Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program, representing $3.7 billion in requests to fund cybersecurity projects during the three-year program. During the application filing window—which ran from September 17, 2024 through November 1, 2024—the Pilot Program attracted applications from all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia, including schools and libraries in both rural and urban communities.

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel spoke at the National Congress of American Indians Annual Convention on October 29, 2024. She highlighted some of the important work of the FCC's Office of Native Affairs and Policy, including the new "Missing and Endangered Persons" or MEP alert code. She also highlighted the newly announced Tribal Library E-Rate Advocacy Program, or TLEAP. "We are going to save Indigenous women and girls with our new missing and endangered persons alert code.

The Federal Communications Commission announced the creation of the Tribal Library E-Rate Advocacy Program (T-LEAP), which builds on the Commission’s Tribal Libraries Pilot Program. Through this new, permanent program, interested Tribal libraries will have the opportunity to sign up throughout the year for one-on-one assistance to start learning about and working on the E-Rate application process.

In this Order, the Federal Communications Commission adopts the final eligible services list for funding year 2025 for the schools and libraries universal service support program (more commonly referred to as the E-Rate program). The FCC also releases the final eligible services list for funding year 2025 and authorize the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) to open the annual FCC Form 471 application filing window no earlier than 60 days after the release of this Order.