Tiffany Jackson
Executive Director
AASB
In June of 2026, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) launched a review of the nearly 30-year-old E-Rate program. As most of you are aware, E-Rate provides billions of dollars in discounts to help schools and libraries afford high-speed internet. This Notice of Proposed Rulemaking asks two main questions:
- Is the Job Done? The FCC is contending that because most schools now have high-speed internet, the E-Rate program has fulfilled its purpose and can be sunset. What it doesn’t take into consideration is technology, and maintaining a high-speed internet connection is not a one-and-done project. It’s ongoing, with hardware and software constantly in need of upgrading in order to maintain the connection. The FCC also asks whether support should be limited only to rural areas or places where there is only one internet provider.
- Excessive Screen Time. A major part of the proposal links funding to concerns about children’s excessive screen time and mental health. The FCC asks whether it should require schools to limit students’ daily screen time or offer parents a meaningful opportunity to opt their children out of digital instruction.
The ramifications of these questions may have a huge impact on schools in Alaska. Districts would be faced with an immediate absorption of full connectivity costs ranging from 20-90% on broadband, internet, and internal network services. With little flexibility in existing budgets, this would result in districts facing decisions about cutting programs and supports to help cover networking costs, or cutting networking services.
AASB, representing school board members across the State of Alaska, has submitted comments to the FCC on this issue, strongly opposing the FCC’s inquiry into ‘sunsetting’, terminating, or narrowing the scope of the E-Rate program. The FCC suggests nearly universal connectivity rates might indicate the program’s core objective has been achieved. AASB contends digital connectivity is a recurring and evolving responsibility, not a one-time project.
Our position stems from the long-standing, membership-adopted resolutions of our association, specifically Resolutions 2.23, Ensuring Equitable Internet Access for All, and 2.34, Funding for Internet Services. AASB Resolution 2.23 emphasizes that Alaskan students live in a digital age where future economic viability depends on the ability to transmit ideas and information electronically. Our Resolution 2.34 explicitly urges the federal government to FULLY fund the E-Rate program, or a robust substitute.
Current school district budgets in Alaska are insufficient to meet existing or future technology needs. As noted in these resolutions’ rationales, many of our schools struggle with technological obsolescence, where equipment becomes outdated or inoperable before it can be replaced. The proposal to sunset the program ignores the reality that a network is a continuing commitment requiring annual support for maintenance, bandwidth growth, and network modernization.
The FCC’s notice of proposed rulemaking asks whether E-Rate support should be limited only to rural areas. AASB Resolution 2.34 explicitly opposes such a narrow geographic focus, demanding that equitable internet services be funded for both rural and urban schools to prevent program inequities.
Limiting support to rural areas would widen the digital divide by stripping essential funding from urban districts that serve high-poverty, disadvantaged student populations. AASB maintains that digital literacy is a fundamental skill in the 21st century, and equitable internet access is the only way to allow all students, regardless of their ZIP code, to develop this skill.
The E-Rate program is a lifeline to opportunity for Alaska’s students. Success in connecting schools and libraries should be the reason to sustain and strengthen the program, not to dismantle it.
In our comments to the FCC, AASB urged the commission to remove any reference to terminating or narrowing the E-Rate program and to instead focus on modernizing the program to meet the escalating bandwidth and cybersecurity needs of our nation’s public schools. We encourage you to comment on this notice of proposed rulemaking as well, both with the FCC and with your congressional representatives. Share your story! How would sunsetting this program impact your district? What trade-offs would you have to make if it were sunset? How could basic access be necessary for you in helping your students meet the needs of a modern workforce?
If there is anything the Association of Alaska School Boards can do to support you as you develop your own comments, please let us know.