The Federal Communications Commission is launching a review of the E-rate program, which funds broadband connectivity for K-12 schools, to ensure it meets Congress’s vision for educational outcomes. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced the review alongside a notice of proposed rulemaking expected to be discussed and voted on June 25. The review will seek public input on whether E-rate effectively expands affordable high-speed broadband access and how the program should advance learning while protecting students’ online safety. It also asks whether existing Children’s Internet Protection Act measures are sufficient and whether E-rate spending is efficient. The decision is timed amid rising political and community attention on children’s screen time. Several state legislatures and some districts have moved to reduce classroom screen use, increasing pressure on how broadband and technology initiatives are justified. Higher education-adjacent relevance comes from workforce and education technology procurement ecosystems: decisions about K-12 connectivity affect the pipeline of teachers, IT staff, and education technology partners that higher education institutions also rely on. Industry concern is that proposed rulemaking could significantly alter or even jeopardize E-rate funding, described as existential by education broadband coalitions.