# FCC Reviews E-Rate Connectivity Rules

The FCC is reviewing the E-rate program, which provides roughly $3 billion annually for school internet connectivity. Nearly 99% of about 2,500 public filings favored preserving the program, while comments are divided over whether it should include screen-time regulation. The FCC’s reply-comment deadline is November 12, 2026 (13 days away), and a final order is expected in early 2027.

- K-12 connectivity contractors and providers of digital curricula, educational software, and device-dependent services should assess how potential screen-time conditions could affect districts’ purchasing and use of their offerings.
- Organizations participating in the proceeding can submit reply comments by November 12, 2026; the expected order may clarify how E-rate-funded connectivity relates to those services.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Education, Information Technology
**Topics:** Digital Infrastructure, Grants & Funding
**Published:** October 29, 2026

### Government Entities
- Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

### Key Quotes
> This long-overdue analysis is critical not only because of the ailing health of the Universal Service Fund from which E-Rate subsidies are drawn, but also because of the growing evidence of the harmful effects of screen time on children and the threat that generative AI poses to the classroom environment.
> — Michael O'Reilly, former FCC Commissioner

### Sources
- [FCC Public Comments Show Broad Support for E-rate, Divide Over Regulating Screen Time](https://marketbrief.edweek.org/regulation-policy/fcc-public-comments-show-broad-support-for-e-rate-divide-over-regulating-screen-time/2026/10) - Education Week