SHLB Coalition and Partners Disappointed with FCC’s Decision to Impose New E-Rate Bidding Portal
WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 30, 2026)—The Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition, The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), American Library Association (ALA), and AASA, The School Superintendents Association, today expressed disappointment following the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) vote to establish a new competitive bidding portal for the E-Rate program, which helps provide affordable broadband and communication services to schools and libraries nationwide.
The vote came despite broad opposition from schools, libraries, service providers, and education leaders. In the weeks leading up to the vote, SHLB led more than 80 organizations in sending a sign-on letter to the FCC urging the agency not to proceed with the portal, and it held a series of meetings with senior FCC officials. The coalition argued that the proposed portal is overly burdensome and could ultimately deter schools, libraries, and service providers from participating in the nation’s largest federal educational technology program.
“Today’s vote represents a solution in search of a problem,” said Joey Wender, Executive Director of the SHLB Coalition. “As recognized during today’s Open Meeting, a recent Government Accountability Office report found that E-Rate was the only one of the five federal funding programs reviewed to have adopted all recommended requirements and best practices to promote program integrity. Despite that strong track record, the FCC chose to impose a sweeping and unnecessary overhaul that will create new burdens for the schools and libraries that depend on this program. We are particularly concerned about the impact on small and rural schools and libraries, who may lack the capacity to manage these new requirements,” Wender added. “We appreciate the Commission adopting some of our recommendations by directing the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) to engage with stakeholders in developing the portal. We plan to continue working with the Commission and USAC to alleviate further burdens on applicants and providers.”
The coalition’s concerns include potential conflicts between the portal’s framework and existing state and local procurement requirements, the costs of creating and managing the portal, and the risk of undermining ongoing efforts to streamline the E-Rate program.
SHLB and partners appreciate the changes the FCC made to the item in response to the coalition’s advocacy, including directing USAC to develop clear guidance on training, testing, and feedback prior to portal implementation; allowances for multi-year contracts; and flexibility for good faith efforts. The coalition also applauds other elements of the order, including elimination of FCC Form 486 and additional flexibility for service provider transitions and invoice filing deadlines.
“CoSN is disappointed by the FCC decision, but we appreciate the agency’s focus on protecting the integrity of the E‑Rate program,” said Keith Krueger, CEO of CoSN. “As implementation moves forward, it will be critical to ensure that new requirements do not conflict with state and local procurement practices and do not add unnecessary administrative burden for schools.”
“AASA disagrees with the FCC’s decision to move forward with its portal, especially after schools and libraries clearly raised concerns about this proposal,” said Noelle Ellerson Ng, Chief Advocacy & Governance Officer for AASA. “E‑Rate already works well and has a proven track record of strong oversight with very low risk of waste, fraud, or abuse. This new requirement adds unnecessary bureaucracy, will hit small and rural schools and libraries the hardest, and is likely to reduce participation in a program that is already well‑run and critically important.”
“ALA is disappointed that the commissioners have come to a rushed decision to add a layer of bureaucracy to a program that does so much good,” said Sam Helmick, President of ALA. “E-Rate is a proven cornerstone of broadband access, with overwhelming support from libraries, schools, and state and local leaders who rely on it every day. For years, ALA has worked closely with the FCC to reduce applicant burden and streamline participation. The new portal threatens to undermine that progress and create confusion for applicants. ALA will press the FCC to correct course and ensure libraries can continue accessing E‑Rate funds without disruption so they can deliver essential connectivity to their communities.”
SHLB and its partners will continue to engage with the FCC and USAC on implementation and will be closely monitoring steps taken to accept stakeholder feedback, conduct beta testing of the portal, and provide training for all applicants and service providers.
SHLB will host a free webinar on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, at 2 p.m. ET to discuss the FCC’s decision, what it means for E-Rate applicants and service providers, and next steps. Register here to attend.
Media Availability
Joey Wender is available for interviews. For more information, visit www.shlb.org or follow @SHLBcoalition on LinkedIn, Facebook, or X.
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About SHLB: The SHLB Coalition is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) advocacy organization that supports open, affordable, high-quality broadband connections for anchor institutions and their surrounding communities. The SHLB Coalition is based in Washington, D.C. and has a diverse membership of commercial and non-commercial organizations from across the United States. To learn more, visit www.shlb.org.
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The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) is the premier professional association for school system technology leaders. CoSN provides thought leadership resources, community, best practices and advocacy tools to help edtech leaders succeed in the digital transformation.
