The federal E-Rate program has helped public libraries and schools provide reliable internet access to millions of Americans over the last three decades. Most people have never heard of it. Yet every time they use a library computer to apply for a job, research a school or work project, or simply connect with family, there's a good chance E-Rate has helped make it possible.
Now, proposed changes under consideration by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) put the program's future at risk. That's why the American Library Association is asking library supporters across the country to make their voices heard.
Access to reliable, high-speed internet is essential for education, employment, civic participation, healthcare, and lifelong learning. Yet not everyone can afford home internet. According to Harris County Universal Services, over 170,000 households lack home internet access. Another 220,000 households rely solely on smartphones for home internet. Because of E-Rate, libraries like HCPL bridge the connectivity gap.
Fact: E-Rate's total budget represents 1/50th of a penny per tax dollar.
Established in 1996, the program provides schools and libraries with discounts ranging from 20 to 90 percent on internet service, telecommunications, and the network infrastructure needed to keep communities connected. Over three decades, E-Rate has helped transform libraries. With E-Rate's help, the knowledge and information libraries could supply is no longer limited to what can fit within their walls.
Here at Harris County Public Library, E-Rate covers approximately 90 percent of the cost of our internet service. Those savings have allowed us to build redundant internet connections that help keep our branches online if one provider experiences an outage. The program also pays for about 80 percent of the cost of critical networking equipment that keeps our library system running.
For our patrons, those investments mean greater reliability. Students can finish their homework. Job seekers can submit applications. Small business owners can expand their reach. Families can access government services, connect with loved ones, and explore the world's knowledge at no cost.
For 30 years, E-Rate has quietly strengthened one of the nation's most important public institutions. It has helped ensure that access to information and opportunity isn't determined by income or ZIP code, but by curiosity and the desire to learn.
If you believe libraries should continue providing free, reliable internet access to everyone in our community, we encourage you to learn more about the American Library Association's Show Up for E-Rate campaign and let the FCC and your elected representatives know that E-Rate and equitable access to the resources needed to thrive in the 21st-century are important to you and your community.
Learn more about ALA's Show Up for E-Rate
Libraries have always been about expanding access to knowledge. Throughout history, societies have prospered when information became more widely available. The invention of the printing press made books more affordable and ideas more accessible, helping spark the Renaissance, the Scientific Revolution, and the Enlightenment. Public libraries carried that promise even further, opening the doors of learning to anyone willing to walk through them. Today, broadband internet plays much the same role as books did in the past. Public libraries can help lead America to a brighter future, and we want to make sure no one is left behind.
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