SHLB Applauds House Passage of E-Rate Expansion

March 1, 2021 – The Schools, Health and Libraries Broadband Coalition has applauded the House of Representatives passing a bill that would expand the E-Rate program to households.

The expansion is in the $7.6-billion Emergency Connectivity Fund, which is part of the $1.98-trillion stimulus bill.

“For nearly a year now, millions of students and library patrons without home broadband access have been struggling to participate in online learning,” SHLB executive director John Windhausen Jr. said in a statement.

“The longer we wait to bridge this connectivity gap, the further these students and patrons fall behind on their education. The passage of today’s reconciliation bill is a welcome move to help learners of all ages.

“Furthermore, the legislation embodies SHLB’s ‘to and through’ approach by allowing schools and libraries to extend their broadband services to the surrounding communities. We applaud the House’s quick action and encourage the Senate to follow suit and greenlight the bill as soon as possible.”

Windhausen Jr.’s statement comes after SHLB led a coalition of education advocates in January 2021 in petitioning the FCC for emergency E-rate funding. The petition stated an estimated 15 to 16 million students lacked home internet access and, if granted emergency funding, schools and libraries could connect them.

Keith Krueger, CEO of the Consortium for School Networking, said the FCC should extend the program to allow students to learn remotely as no student should fall behind academically because they lack home broadband.