E-rate, Equity, and the Hotspot Head-Scratcher: Why This Vote Has Us Buffering
Let’s talk about something that should not be up for debate in 2025: kids needing the internet to do their homework. Yet here we are.
Recently, the Senate voted to repeal the FCC rule that allowed schools and libraries to use E-rate funds for Wi-Fi hotspots (source). For those of us working on digital equity every day, this move doesn’t just sting, it stalls progress. Imagine pulling the plug on a student mid-Zoom. That’s what this feels like.
Let’s Be Real: Learning Doesn’t Stop at the Schoolhouse Door.
E-rate was designed to help schools and libraries provide internet access. And in the 90s, that meant plugging a computer into a wall. Fast forward to today, and learning is mobile, connected, and 24/7. Students are collaborating from after-school programs, working from their grandma’s house, or streaming lessons from the backseat of a car with one working air vent.
Hotspots aren’t a luxury; they’re a lifeline, especially in rural areas where broadband is as rare as a vending machine that has items for less than a dollar, or in low-income communities where families are deciding between groceries or a phone bill.
So What Exactly Happened?
The Senate voted to repeal the FCC’s updated E-rate rule that allowed schools to use funds for off-campus internet via hotspots. Supporters of the repeal say it was government overreach. But as someone who’s spent time in classrooms where students still have to submit homework via paper because they can’t get online at home, I call the senate’s move underreach. Or maybe just “out of touch.”
The Real Impact: Students Stuck Buffering
Here’s what this vote really means:
- Disconnected students will be left behind academically, and let’s be honest, socially too. Try telling a middle schooler they can’t access their group project because Congress said “no hotspots.”
- Educators are scrambling to find alternative funding streams, again.
- Libraries and schools are stuck explaining why they can’t offer what should be a basic service.
This decision disproportionately impacts the very communities E-rate was meant to serve. It’s the digital version of building a school with no front door and telling kids to just “try harder” to get inside.
This Isn’t Just about Wi-Fi—It’s about Opportunity
We talk a lot about equity in education. Well, here’s a clear test: Do we believe all students, regardless of zip code, deserve the tools they need to thrive in a connected world? If the answer is yes, limiting hotspot access isn’t just a bad policy; it’s a contradiction.
Now’s Not the Time to Pull the Plug
This isn’t the moment to “return to normal” if normal meant students sitting outside fast food joints just to upload an assignment. We need to expand access, not shrink it. Instead of fighting over who gets connected, let’s focus on how fast we can connect every student.
Final Thoughts (and a small rant)
In the age of AI, streaming, and instant updates, we shouldn’t be voting to cut off connectivity. We should be investing in innovation and inclusion. Because here’s the truth: if we expect students to compete in a digital world, we must connect them to it, not place barriers in their way.
Let’s not leave students stuck in a spinning wheel of buffering—literally or figuratively.
Meet The Author
Adam A. Phyall III, Ed.D.
Director of Professional Learning and Leadership
