Help Save E-Rate

On June 25, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) initiated a proposal that questions whether to continue the federal program that has made high-speed broadband and Wi‑Fi affordable for public libraries and schools nationwide: the FCC is threatening to terminate the E-Rate program.

When E-Rate began in the late 1990s, most libraries and schools had little or no internet access. Today, nearly every library and school in the country has a high-speed connection. The FCC points to that success and suggests the job is finished. The reality is the opposite. That connectivity exists because E-Rate helps libraries and schools pay for internet access year after year. 

E-Rate is a congressionally-mandated program, and we need Congress to help us defend E-Rate now. Join us in telling your Senators and Representatives what broadband access at the library means to you and your community. In Hamden, the E-rate program allows local public schools and the Hamden Public Library system to receive significant discounts on internet access, network equipment, and telecommunications.