Critics Fear the FCC's E-Rate Program Could Get the D-OGE Treatment
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr wants to point the $2.4 billion program in a new direction in an effort to reduce student screen time in response to falling test scores and concerns about online safety
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E-Rate: FCC Chairman Brendan Carr seems to want to make major changes to the $2.4 billion E‑Rate program. At the agency’s June 25 meeting, Carr warned that years of rising classroom screen time have coincided with falling reading and math scores and widening achievement gaps. “The data show that reading and math skills have declined substantially,” he said. Carr is weighing whether E‑Rate should be refocused on basic connectivity, whether schools should face stronger online‑safety requirements, and whether the FCC should reinterpret the Children’s Internet Protection Act so that content restrictions apply to devices that kids bring to school. Carr is also considering tighter oversight of consultants and new safeguards to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse as device use in schools continues to expand. Some fear Carr wants to make deep funding cuts to a program that supports more than 100,000 schools and about 11,000 libraries across the country. (More after paywall)
