October 14, 2026
Written by Noelle Ellerson Ng, Associate Executive Director for Advocacy & Governance
AESA joined 22 national organizations in joint comments filed in response to the FCC’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), which considers sweeping changes to the E-Rate program. The filing urges the FCC to preserve E-Rate and reject proposals that would eliminate or substantially restrict the program. The filing argues that the FCC lacks the legal authority to terminate or radically restructure E-Rate and that doing so would undermine decades of progress connecting schools and libraries to affordable broadband. It also challenges proposals that would expand federal regulation into screen time, instructional practices and local technology-use decisions; raise administrative burdens; or impose new requirements that exceed the program’s statutory purpose. The comments emphasize that protecting student safety and ensuring reliable connectivity are compatible goals, and that decisions about curriculum, pedagogy and student technology use should remain with local leaders, educators, families and communities. Read the full comment here.
Signing Organizations
- AASA, The School Superintendents Association
- ALAS
- American Federation of School Administrators
- American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
- American Library Association
- Association of Educational Service Agencies
- Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO)
- Consortium for School Networking (CoSN)
- Consortium of State School Boards Associations (COSSBA)
- Council of Chief State School Officers
- Council of Great City Schools
- National Association for Pupil Transportation
- National Association of Elementary School Principals
- National Association of Federally Impacted Schools (NAFIS)
- National Association of Independent Schools
- National Catholic Education Association
- National Education Association
- National Principals Association
- National PTA
- National Rural Education Association
- National School Attorneys Association
- National School Boards Association (NSBA)
- State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA)