Alaska school boards tell FCC: cutting E-Rate forces a choice between broadband and teachers

Alaska school districts cannot absorb the cost of broadband, network maintenance, and modernization without federal E-Rate support, and any move to sunset or narrow the program would force a direct trade-off against teacher salaries, the Association of Alaska School Boards told the Federal Communications Commission.

The filing puts the association, which represents more than 330 locally elected school board members statewide, on record in opposition to the commission's June 25 vote to open a sweeping review of E-Rate: the federal program that subsidizes broadband and communications services for schools and libraries. The FCC's notice of proposed rulemaking asked whether the program should be terminated or limited to rural areas only.

Executive Director Tiffany Jackson framed the choice in direct terms: "Narrowing or sunsetting E-Rate at this critical juncture would force Alaska school districts to make the decision between paying the broadband bill, or paying teachers, ultimately leaving Alaskan students uncompetitive in a global workforce."

The association also argued that connecting 99 percent of schools should be a reason to sustain and strengthen the program, not dismantle it, pushing back against any suggestion that near-universal connectivity rates mean the program's mission is complete. Digital connectivity, the filing contends, is a recurring and evolving responsibility, not a one-time project.

Two Arguments Against Restructuring

The filing makes two distinct arguments. The first is fiscal: district budgets are insufficient to cover bandwidth growth and network modernization, and many schools already struggle with technological obsolescence. The second is legal: the association contends the FCC lacks statutory authority under Section 254 of the Telecommunications Act to terminate a program Congress mandated, aligning with the dissenting position of FCC Commissioner Anna M. Gomez. The filing also directly challenges any rural-only geographic restriction, arguing it would strip funding from urban Alaska districts serving high-poverty student populations and widen rather than close the digital divide.

The association urged the commission to remove any reference to terminating or narrowing E-Rate and to instead focus on modernizing the program to meet escalating bandwidth and cybersecurity needs of the nation's schools.