The Category One group does not have a budget limit, and the discounts range from 20% to 90%. On the infrastructure side, the Category Two budget was recently reset to $201.57 per student over a five-year cycle, calculated on the pre-discount price.
LeNard used Florida as an example. With roughly 3.21 million students, that translates to $647 million in eligible project costs over five years. With an average statewide discount of 70%, schools would receive approximately $452 million back.
“You’re seeing a significant savings there,” he said, “This only works for what you are purchasing. Remember, this is a discount program, not a grant.”
What Does the E-Rate Review Mean for Districts?
The Federal Communications Commission recently adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for the E-Rate program, “to align E-rate funding with digital wellness and education purpose metrics,” LeNard said.
“There’s a feeling that schools are spending too much time using computers to entertain the kids rather than educating,” he said. Among the ideas on the table are new internet filtering requirements, more granular traffic control, increased parental visibility into student online activity and potential limits on managed internal broadband services.
DISCOVER: Small schools need comprehensive plans for grant management.
Passow encouraged attendees to advocate for the program via an online portal that is accepting comments. Individuals can access their area’s E-Rate data and use that information to craft their message to their representatives and to participate in the public comment period when it opens.
Part of this advocacy includes educating elected officials about the technical aspects of E-Rate or misconceptions they may have related to screen time or broadband needs, LeNard said. Explaining how firewalls and filtering work as both a security measure and in blocking access to certain websites addresses the screen time concerns, for example. Additionally, a strong network is vital to supporting school safety technologies and advancing artificial intelligence initiatives.
Passow noted that language in the notice implies that the program is unnecessary because most schools are already connected — not taking into account necessary upgrades.
UP NEXT: Infrastructure modernization can support stronger device performance.
“Once you build a house, you don't get to just live in that house for 50 years and never have to do anything again,” she said. “The house needs a new roof, otherwise, soon you’re going to have water in your bedroom. The program is still necessary. You’re going to keep making the updates to your network that you need to have the highest network broadband possible to help us bring students in responsibly to our new AI world. You can't be on a slow network, so you need to continually to upgrade.”
One attendee observed that this education might also be helpful on the superintendent level. Explaining to district leadership the benefits E-Rate has on the bottom line can help gain their support in advocating for the program.
By explaining to their representatives how the E-Rate program has impacted their districts, Passow said, everyone — not just district leaders — can make their voices heard and make an impact on the FCC’s final decision.
“As citizens, we affect their decisions,” LeNard said. “Go out, make yourself heard, and let’s talk about some of the good things that this program does.”
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