Internet service funding to Long Island schools and libraries could be cut: What to know

Education advocates on Long Island are urging the Federal Communications Commission to reject a proposal to cut millions of dollars in broadband internet service to local schools and libraries.

The FCC is reviewing its E-Rate program, which has provided subsidies to schools and libraries across the country for Wi-Fi and computer hardware since it was established three decades ago under then-President Bill Clinton.

FCC chairman Brendan Carr has cited concerns over screen time use in class and questioned whether the program's "core objective" had been accomplished, as schools have achieved greater connectivity.

"Should the E-Rate program be limited or sunset to reflect today’s extensive connectivity rates? ... We seek comment on whether Congress intended E-Rate to operate indefinitely, regardless of the extent to which schools and libraries have achieved universal connectivity," the FCC notes in its rulemaking proposal. The FCC did not return requests seeking comment. 

But education advocates argue that schools use the E-Rate funding for much more than curriculum and instruction on Chromebooks. If the program were eliminated, they say, schools might be forced to delay upgrading systems and equipment that are integral to their cybersecurity, putting their digital safety at risk amid increasing threats.

"You may or may not have the funds, depending on your planning and your reserves and all that, to now keep up with that so that will be detrimental to the infrastructure of the district," said Sandeep Dhillon, director of district and technology services at Nassau BOCES, which oversees the E-Rate program for 53 school districts in the county.

Public comment and replies to the FCC's proposal, which could result in limiting the E-Rate funding or eliminating it completely, ends on Nov. 12. The FCC is expected to issue a final rule after taking the commentary into account. It could also decline to take action. 

The FCC has also asked commenters to weigh in on its "legal authority" to change the program. 

Some advocates said that it's outside the agency's purview to end the program or to consider screen time limits, which they argue should be decided by lawmakers, the federal Education Department and local districts.

The E-Rate program is "about getting connectivity to the district, to the building, to the classroom and to the back of that device," said Noelle Ellerson Ng, chief advocacy and governance officer at the Virginia-based AASA, The School Superintendents Association. "Chairman Carr cannot unilaterally re-categorize a connectivity program from education connectivity to education content."

'One more challenge'

Approximately $2.6 billion is disbursed annually through the E-Rate program, according to the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, a public education agency in Pennsylvania that is tracking the discounts and benefits offered nationwide.

The program provided more than $53.8 million to public, private and charter schools and libraries on Long Island from 2021 through 2025. Roughly $45.6 million of that funding went to 111 public school districts on Long Island, according to the Allegheny Intermediate Unit.

Beyond providing affordable Wi-Fi, the program also helps pay for hardware and equipment like switches and routers and covers network security like firewalls. Districts operate year-round, and the internet is an integral part of their infrastructure, education advocates said.

The potential cuts come at a time when many schools are already feeling the pinch, with costs rising and state aid not keeping up, according to Robert Lowry, senior education finance and policy analyst at the New York State Council of School Superintendents.

"Potentially losing the E-rate funding would be one more challenge," Lowry said.

Bob Vecchio, executive director of the Nassau-Suffolk School Boards Association, also noted the possible impact to low-income districts, which can receive discounts of up to 90% through the program.

"We're very concerned about any changes to the E-Rate funding that the federal government may make, particularly if there's reductions in funding, because this becomes an equity issue ... and we do have some districts that do have connectivity issues," he said.

Officials at Nassau BOCES said seven of the county's poorer districts receive subsidies of 90% through the program, including Lawrence, Freeport, Glen Cove, Uniondale, Roosevelt, Hempstead and Hicksville.

If the federal government cuts funding, schools cannot just cut their internet service. Instead, said Vincent LaRusso, senior manager of telecommunications at Nassau BOCES, "Those districts obviously would have to make up the most from other sources, so that's clearly one of our concerns."

Glen Cove schools Superintendent Alexa Doeschner said in a statement, "If there should be a loss of this funding, in whole or in part, we would assess what is immediately necessary and postpone other projects, if required, until full funding became available again."

LaRusso said the E-Rate program keeps bids from vendors competitive. Ten years ago, a megabit cost $1.43 in the county and it has now dropped to 28 cents, he said, crediting the E-Rate program with helping drive down rates due to its competitive bidding process. But amid declining prices, demand continues to climb, he said.

LaRusso said schools require more and more internet capacity, with a 31% spike since last year alone. He said districts are now requiring 136 gigabits in internet capacity versus 5 gigabits in 2010.

At Western Suffolk BOCES, all 18 districts participate in the program, according to spokesperson Erin Niemczyk. Twenty districts within Eastern BOCES are also signed up for the program.

Impact on libraries

Robert Drake, assistant director for technology operations at the Nassau Library System, said 51 of 54 member libraries that applied as a consortium received about $1 million in E-Rate funding from 2021 through 2026, an average 65% reimbursement.

"It's immensely useful for us," Drake said. "It's a long-standing program that has allowed libraries to continuously improve their internet to meet the needs of everyone for decades."

Drake said that if the program were to be eliminated, small libraries would be forced to consider cuts to other programs or perhaps provide slower, lower quality internet services. He he said that would hurt the populations those libraries serve.

"They’re coming in to apply to jobs or study for tests or do professional development. Being able to give them high-quality internet is really important to our mission," Drake said.

Roger Reyes, assistant director of the Suffolk Cooperative Library System, said libraries are already underfunded. He said 52 of the 56 Suffolk public libraries participate through a consortium, with more hopping on board through the years. Reyes said that from 2021 through 2026, the consortium received more than $1.7 million, accounting for about 60% of their annual broadband cost.

"It's an online world and without that funding, it means libraries have to turn to their communities and ask their patrons to to pierce the tax cap, to do whatever they need to do to raise more money," said Reyes.