The FCC approved a new competitive bidding portal for the E-rate program, aimed at curbing fraud and waste in the roughly $3 billion annual system that funds school internet connectivity. The change would replace self-certification processes with verifiable data and a centralized online portal. Education groups and district advocates, including the Schools, Health, and Libraries Broadband Coalition, the Consortium for School Networking, and AASA, argued the approach is unnecessary and burdensome. They warned the portal could reduce participation and disproportionately harm small and rural schools and libraries. With the FCC casting the portal as a transparency and integrity upgrade, the next critical phase is whether vendors and applicants adapt quickly enough to avoid service delays or participation drops—outcomes that can directly affect digital equity plans at the district level.