The FCC is expected to end changes to Biden-era rules that allow nearly 200,000 schools and libraries to lend out Wi-Fi hotspot devices.
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It can quickly become difficult for students to access the internet on the school bus or rent mobile internet hotspots from the library.
In a September 23 letter, the coalition of school and library advocacy groups urged the Federal Communications Commission to protect programs that allowed schools and libraries to lend hotspot devices.
“One in five households in our country doesn’t have access to reliable home broadband. Hotspots are not a permanent fix, but we will ensure that students, job seekers, veterans and seniors are not left behind.”
The FCC is scheduled to vote at its September 30th meeting and will revoke a 2024 rule change by the Biden administration, which allows schools and libraries to lend hot spots and provide Wi-Fi on buses as part of their existing e-rate program.
When schools and businesses were closed during the pandemic, Congress allocated $123 million to the FCC to buy school and library hotspots. The 2024 Biden FCC vote came after the authority to terminate that money.
Schools and libraries in all states have already approved contracts and the money is already spent. In the 2025 fiscal year, which ends September 30th, the schools and districts requested a total of $27.5 million for Wi-Fi hotspots.
According to a September 3 FCC news release, companies running a program called e-rate will be denied “rejected pending funding in 2025.
An FCC spokesman did not respond to requests for comment.
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FCC Chairman Brendan Kerr said in a statement that the authority to fund Wi-Fi initiatives was finished by the time Biden FCC voted. He said the electronic rates are not intended to provide children with unsupervised access to the internet.
“The FCC has also failed to demonstrate that these funding decisions advance legitimate classroom or library objectives. I was against both decisions at the time. I am happy to distribute these two items now.
Senate and House Republicans introduced measures earlier this year to overturn Biden’s rules. It also calls it partisan overreach, as federal law says it aims to provide discounts on broadband services only to “school classrooms” and libraries.
In May, the Senate voted 50-38 along the party line, overturning the 2024 expansion. A similar bill introduced in the House of Representatives in February has not been considered.
Many people don’t have access to homework, telehealth, online banking, and more.
Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition, American Library Association (ALA), Edlinc and the Homework Gap Union have signed a joint letter to the FCC.
“It’s a daily issue for students looking for success in schools, people looking for jobs, rural residents who rely on telehealth, and students who don’t have digital skills to file taxes and set up online banking,” Helmic said in a statement. “Policymakers should welcome the enthusiasm of local libraries and schools and become part of the solution.”
The letter provides examples of rural school districts with long bus commutes, such as Farmington Municipal Schools in New Mexico, with Wi-Fi on the bus to allow students to ride homes for up to two hours.
The letter also highlights that both programs are subject to e-rate filtering requirements in accordance with the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA), ensuring that users do not have free access to indecent or harmful materials.
It also fits alongside other changes made to the e-rate programme that are not expressly permitted under federal law, such as supporting internet access for administrative offices, parking and library registrations by covering loan hotspots and allowing Wi-Fi to school buses.
Sarah D. Wire covers how much real people are affected by the federal government of USA Today. She can contact swirre@usatoday.com
