TIMELY ACTION NEEDED: 萝卜AV视频Opposes Bill to Rescind E-Rate Hotspots
May 06, 2025
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This blog post has been updated to reflect action taken by the Senate yesterday (May 6), an opportunity for you to reach out to your Senator before the final bill vote on May 8, and a good explainer of what a CRA is and why its relevant.
Bottom line, the Senate is set to vote on a bill that would roll back the ability of E-Rate recipients to use their dollars to provide hotspots for internet access, a change our organization has supported since its inception in the Learn Without Limits Initiative in 2023.
What can you do? The priority is to contact your Senators about a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution that would overturn the Federal Communications Commission鈥檚 E-Rate hotspot order and to urge the Senator to VOTE NO on this CRA.
Additional Talking Points
- We support the FCC鈥檚 Order, which allows schools and libraries to obtain E-Rate funding to provide wireless internet hotspot devices and service to students, school staff, and library patrons.
- Almost 20,000 schools and libraries across the country are currently in the process of applying for several hundred thousand hotspots, which often have multiple users.
- This resolution, if passed, would prevent millions of students and library patrons across the country from obtaining internet access.
- You can reference the 萝卜AV视频letter linked here in the blog, and reiterate the ask that the Senator vote NO on this CRA.
- This program provides great home connectivity options for low-income and rural students, educators and library patrons who need the ability to complete homework, conduct research, contact teachers, apply for college, apply for employment or seek government services. Voting yes this resolution will only prevent low-income and rural students, teachers and library patrons from gaining online access.
- This Congressional Review Act is unnecessary as the FCC has the ability to modify or rescind the order allowing E-Rate to support Wi-Fi hotspots. If Congress passes this resolution, it will not only end E-Rate support for Wi-Fi hotspots now, but it will also prevent the FCC from ever approving such support again.
- The rules adopted by the FCC require that all Wi-Fi hotspots include blocking and filtering of inappropriate material. Thus, the claims that providing home Internet access through these hotspots exposes children to pornography and other inappropriate content are untrue.
Today, 萝卜AV视频joined five other national organizations in a joint letter to the Senate, opposing S.J. Res 7, a proposal that would overturn the Federal Communications Commission鈥檚 E-Rate hotspot program.
So what is this bill and why is THIS what they are voting on?
- S.J. Res. 7 is a Joint Resolution in the Senate, using authority granted to Congress via the Congressional Review Act.
- Congressional Review Act (CRA) is a legislative oversight tool that provides Congress with a way to oppose or overturn final rules/order promulgated by federal agencies. While CRAs can be used at any point in time, they are most common during a change in administration.
- How common is the CRA? There are different levels of CRAs. There have been more than 400 joint resolutions of disapproval since the CRA was enacted in 1996. Full overturn of rules has happened only a handful of times. In recent years, that included 16 rule rescissions in the Obama administration in the 115th Congress; three rule rescissions during the 117th Congress to rescind Trump administration rules; and ZERO in the 118th Congress.
- 萝卜AV视频supported a CRA to rescind the Obama accountability regulations when they were overturned in 2017 (related EdWeek article) .
- This CRA has been initiated by Senator Ted Cruz, who chairs the Senate Commerce Committee and thinks that the FCC overstepped its authority in expanding the E-Rate program to allow those dollars to be used for hot spots.
- If the CRA passes, it overturns/rescinds the rule, and depending on how it is written, can impact the ability of the issuing agency to address the topic again in the future.
- Candidly, this is moving because it is both a priority of Senator Cruz, and they are time limited. The Senate has 60 business days to review any rule or regulation under CRA. We are rapidly approaching the end of that window, so without a vote within the week, the Senate will lose its opportunity to review/rescind the rule.
- What happens if the CRA passes?
- The flexibility to use E-Rate dollars for hot spots will end.
- Almost 20,000 schools and libraries across the country are currently in the process of applying for several hundred thousand hotspots, which often have multiple users. This resolution, if passed, would prevent millions of students and library patrons across the country from obtaining internet access.
- If Congress passes this resolution, it will not only end E-Rate support for Wi-Fi hotspots now, but it will also prevent the FCC from ever approving such support again.
