Washington, D.C. — June 25, 2026 — CoSN today joined leading education organizations in expressing concern following the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) vote to advance a proposal that raises questions about whether the E-Rate program should be terminated or limited to rural areas.

Read the full statement from SHLB.

“CoSN is deeply concerned that the FCC’s pending E-Rate rulemaking could threaten a program that has been essential for schools for nearly three decades. While we share the FCC’s commitment to student safety, we cannot lose sight of E-Rate’s core mission: ensuring that students and educators have access to secure, high-capacity broadband required for digital learning,” said Keith Krueger, CEO of CoSN. “At a time when school systems are addressing growing cybersecurity threats and preparing students with critical digital and artificial intelligence (AI) skills, efforts should be directed toward strengthening and modernizing this vital program to meet the needs of students, educators and communities.”

The coalition maintains that E-Rate’s success is precisely the reason to sustain it. Connectivity now supports nearly every function of a modern school or library, from online testing and classroom instruction to book checkout, security systems and other daily building operations. That connectivity endures only because E-Rate continues to support it year after year. Because funding is tied to need, the coalition warned that scaling back the program would hurt schools and libraries across the country, and would hit hardest in lower-income communities, rural and urban alike, that depend on it most, widening the very digital divide that Congress established E-Rate to close.

CoSN, SHLB, and partners have launched an action center at SaveOurERate.com, a central hub for everyone who depends on the program. The site houses the resources the community needs to get involved, including tools to file comments with the FCC, guidance on how to write to members of Congress and other ways to take action. The coalition urges schools, libraries and the communities they serve to visit the site, make their voices heard and keep returning to it as the proceeding moves forward.

To learn more about the benefits of education technology for K-12 students, visit https://www.cosn.org/purposeful-edtech/.

To download CoSN’s resources on Balanced Screentime, visit: www.cosn.org/screentime

Media Contact: Makenzie Carlin, mcarlin@fratelli.com