E-Rate & Technology
Guidance, policy updates and actionable resources for schools & districts focused on E-Rate and Technology.
Background
The Federal Communication Commission (FCC)'s E-Rate program makes telecommunications and information services more affordable for schools and libraries. With funding from the Universal Service Fund, E-Rate provides discounts for telecommunications, internet access, and internal connections to eligible schools and libraries. E-Rate is critical to school-based internet access, which is foundational for today’s learners.
AASA has long supported and championed the E-Rate program for its work to transform and support broadband connectivity in schools. We work closely with the FCC to support policies aimed at closing the homework gap through equitable access to technology and internet. AASA is also committed to working with the U.S. Department of Education and the FCC on ensuring any federal response to cybersecurity threats and student data privacy are comprehensive and cross-agency and adequately funded.
AASA's priorities through the E-Rate program include:
- Support preservation of the Universal Service Fund and the programs it supports
- Supporting the FCC's Learn Without Limits initiative to provide students with Wi-Fi on buses and hotspot connectivity
- Supporting policies that protect student data privacy and adequately fund cybersecurity for all school districts
AASA's Position & Priorities
AASA is committed to advocating for the following:
- Support flexibility of federal resources to ensure equitable access to affordable broadband, to better support student connectivity both in and out of school.
- Ensure any federal response to cybersecurity threats are comprehensive and cross-agency, and adequately funded.
- Oppose any effort to redirect E-Rate funding as initial/primary cybersecurity response.
- Permanently exempt E-Rate from the Anti-Deficiency Act.
- Support preservation of the Universal Service Fund and the programs it supports.
- Support using E-Rate dollars for Wi-Fi on buses and hot spots.
- Support efforts to ensure equitable access to affordable connectivity at home and at school.
- Update definitions to address the realities of the digital age, making it possible to protect data while ensuring appropriate use of student data for legitimate educational needs and reforms.
- Ensure funding to support school districts in ongoing efforts to respond to cybersecurity threats.
AASA has long supported and championed the E-Rate program for its work to transform and support broadband connectivity in schools... Even before the pandemic, we knew that upwards of 12 million students struggled without (or with inadequate) broadband access at home to complete school assignments.
David R. Schuler, AASA executive director
Issue Updates
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December 19, 2024
AASA Executive Director David Schuler Named to USAC BoardToday, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel named 8 members to the USAC board of directors, including AASA Executive Director David R. Schuler.
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December 10, 2024
Share Your Story: Help Protect E-RateWe are in the final stages of filing the amicus brief for our case with the Supreme Court, and we'd like to hear your E-Rate stories.
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December 02, 2024
The Advocate December 2024: Eliminating E-Rate- What’s In Store in 2025As we head into the new year, new Congress and new administration, we are also bracing for a significant case impacting education that will be before the Supreme Court in its 2025 term. And its all about E-Rate.
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November 04, 2024
The Advocate November 2024: Recommendations for the Next Administration MemoWith all of Washington in a state of paralysis ahead of the election, AASA chose to unveil a set of comprehensive recommendations focused on critical education priorities for the next administration.
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AASA Resources
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November 21, 2024
PEP Talk Episode 34: The E-Rate SagaType:Podcast Topics: Advocacy & PolicyOn this episode of PEP Talk: Kat Sturdevant gets into the weeds on the current saga of the FCC's Universal Service Fund and E-Rate with Jon Bernstein, an education technology and telecommunications lobbyist and president of Bernstein Strategy Group. -
June 27, 2024
The Pillars of Well-Designed Student Privacy LegislationTopics:This report highlights the twelve foundational pillars of well-designed student privacy legislation, aiming to equip state policymakers with the knowledge and tools necessary to craft and continuously improve state-level student privacy protections. -
June 27, 2024
Mitigating Risks in Student Surveys: An Overview of PPRAA brief history of the PPRA, guidelines for applying the law, lessons learned from past misapplications of PPRA, and best practices for compliant and effective social emotional learning (SEL) survey administration in school. -
June 27, 2024
Fixing FERPATopics:This comprehensive series explores the current challenges of implementing the 50-year-old Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) – the U.S.’s primary student privacy law – in modern classrooms, and proposes actionable solutions to revamp FERPA’s privacy protections for the 21st century.
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Additional Resources
Federal Communications Commission and U.S. Department of Education Resources
In the News
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December 19, 2024
Advocacy & Policy, E-Rate, Press Release
AASA Executive Director David R. Schuler Named to USAC BoardSchuler will represent schools nationwide as the board oversees Universal Service programs, including E-Rate, which connects students and educators to essential broadband access.
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September 20, 2024
E-Rate, News
FCC Cybersecurity Pilot Program Now Open for ApplicationsThe FCC has opened applications for its Cybersecurity Pilot Program from September 17 to November 1, 2024. Schools and libraries can apply for funding to enhance cybersecurity.
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