Carr Looking to Scrap FCC Funding for Off-campus Wi-Fi
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, still wants to bar the agency from instituting similar policies in the future.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 3, 2025 – Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr circulated two items Wednesday that would roll back the agency’s subsidy support for Wi-Fi connectivity outside of schools and libraries.
In 2023 the agency expanded its E-Rate program, which spends about $2 billion annually on internet discounts to schools and libraries, to fund Wi-Fi access on school buses. And in July 2024, the agency cleared the way for libraries to request funding for Wi-Fi hotspots that patrons could check out and use off campus.
Republicans at the FCC and in Congress were opposed to the moves, arguing the agency wasn’t legally allowed to use E-Rate funds on connectivity outside the physical bounds of a school or library. The FCC now has a 2-1 Republican majority.
Member discussion