- FCC Proposes E-Rate Changes
- Hawaii Announces Digital Aloha
- California Pilot Improves Affordable Broadband
- Santa Barbara County Digital Resource Hub
- Libraries’ Role in Supporting Internet Access
FCC PROPOSES E-RATE CHANGES
This week, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr called for a commission vote to end the 2023 decision to allow E-rate funding to be used to enable Wi-Fi access on school buses. He also proposed reversing the FCC’s 2024 decision to fund Wi-Fi hot spots for kids and libraries to use outside of schools or libraries.
Hot spot access can play a key role in expanding Internet access, but changes in FCC staff have created concerns about the future of students’ access to these devices.
The E-rate program’s expansions to support student Internet access violates “the limits Congress imposed on the FCC’s authority,” Carr said in a statement.
FCC Commissioner Anna M. Gomez warned that removing this connectivity from students and seniors who depend on it will widen digital inequities, in a statement: “We must all fight back against this level of cruelty and indifference by this Administration.”
Other organizations have also been vocal about their opposition to Carr’s proposals.
“The Homework Gap predated the pandemic and will now, unfortunately, only widen as a result of this proposal,” Joey Wender, executive director of The Schools, Health and Libraries Broadband Coalition, said in a statement, underlining that learning does not stop outside of schools and libraries.
Wi-Fi on school buses is notably beneficial for students living in rural areas, according to a statement from Benton Senior Counselor Andrew Jay Schwartzman: “The previous FCC chair turned these commutes into 'the Homework Hour;' Chairman Carr proposes to lock rural kids into dead zones.”
If these proposals go through, school districts will need to take action to ensure students have equitable access to the Internet, including finding partners or relying on state funding to help pay for children’s home Internet access.
HAWAII ANNOUNCES DIGITAL ALOHA
Hawaii officials have dubbed September 2025 as Digital Aloha Month, an initiative aimed at informing safety online and digital well-being — for students, teachers, parents and others.
This monthlong campaign will work in parallel with the statewide broadband initiative known as Connect Kākou, specifically advancing its “digital know-how” pillar that emphasizes digital literacy and Internet safety.
The effort, announced by Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, is a partnership between the Hawaii State Student Council, the Hawaii State Department of Education, the Hawaii State Youth Commission, and the Hawaii State Department of Health’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Division.
State of Hawaii
The state has invested in getting everyone access to the Internet in recent years, with notable examples being support for Indigenous Hawaiians, the creation of a state broadband office, and the enactment of state-level broadband legislation.
CALIFORNIA PILOT IMPROVES AFFORDABLE BROADBAND
A new pilot program in California will improve broadband offered through the California LifeLine program, which offers discounts on home phone and cellphone services to eligible households.
The new Home Broadband Pilot is a three-year, technology-neutral initiative allowing eligible consumers to apply the California LifeLine subsidy to any eligible Internet plan — those which meet or exceed minimum service standards. That means plans offering 100/20 Mbps with 1,280 GB per month, with exceptions for low-cost plans and in areas where this speed is not possible.
The program includes a $20 subsidy for broadband service, $30 for broadband service bundled with a wireline or wireless voice service, and reimbursement of up to $39 per year per household for new connections.
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY DIGITAL RESOURCE HUB
In local news, the Santa Barbara County Digital Equity Coalition has launched a new online hub, offering digital tools and information to help people in the county get connected. This includes information about affordable Internet plans, free or low-cost device programs, digital literacy classes, and local technical support opportunities. The tools aim to support students, parents and educators.
“From homework to virtual parent meetings, digital connectivity is a basic need — and this site is here to help,” Beatriz García, director of strategic initiatives and partnerships at the Santa Barbara Foundation, said in a statement.
The hub was developed in partnership with the Santa Barbara Foundation and the Economic Development Collaborative.
LIBRARIES’ ROLE IN SUPPORTING INTERNET ACCESS
Libraries play an essential role in achieving digital equity, and their role has been made even more vital with the federal government’s termination of the Digital Equity Act (DEA).
The role of libraries is changing and so, too, is the role of library staff; the digital navigator role is increasingly emerging in libraries, as is an AI specialist role, according to a recent survey from the Public Library Association.
In response to the DEA’s end, the American Library Association has compiled resources that can support libraries in the work to expand Internet access and adoption. Resources include digital equity plans, federal funding opportunities and other information.
Notably, library systems such as the Brownsville Public Library System in Brownsville, Texas, are offering Internet and device access as well as digital literacy training opportunities; its next round of computer classes for adults will begin Sept. 9.
Looking ahead, proposed changes to the E-rate program may further shift libraries’ role in getting communities connected.
