Congress Considering Changes to E-Rate

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted a comprehensive Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM) to conduct a "top-to-bottom" evaluation of the E-Rate program. Approved by a 2-1 vote led by FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, the review explores whether the program should be narrowed, reoriented, or potentially sunseted now that near-universal school connectivity has been achieved.

If the E-Rate program changes, Monterey County Free Libraries could lose discounts on internet service and internet connectivity equipment that allow MCFL to pay 10-15% of usual costs. Losing the E-Rate price structure will deeply impact the budget.

The Monterey County Board of Supervisors has already acted by sending their letter of strong opposition to any diminishing of the E-Rate program for libraries to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), with copies to Senators Padilla and Schiff, and Congressmember Jimmy Panetta.

Please join us in taking action as well, whether you send your appeals and stories with us, your own communities (such as the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), the American Library Association (ALA), or the School Superintendents Association (AASA)) or individually.

We too can let the FCC and legislators at the local, state, and federal level know our opposition to any diminishing of the E-Rate program.

If you contact the FCC on your own, make sure to include these four docket numbers to receive consideration:  

Ensuring Children’s Safe Use of Screens and E-Rate-Funded Services, WC Docket No. 26-133 Modernizing the E-Rate

Program for Schools and Libraries, WC Docket No. 13-184

Establishing the Emergency Connectivity Fund to Close the Homework Gap, WC Docket No. 21-93

Promoting Fair and Open Competitive Bidding in the E-Rate Program, WC Docket No. 21-455

Let’s work together to make Monterey County’s strong opposition to tampering with the E-Rate program successful, which means that E-Rate, the largest federal program connecting schools and libraries, will continue to provide digital equity to Monterey County residents.

To write to the FCC: https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/filings/standard .

COMPASS Defunding

During the 2026 budget negotiations, the California Legislature took out $5.5 million in funding for COMPASS and we are spearheading a drive to let legislators know we don’t agree with their decision.

In 2017 California State Library instituted the The California Online Media Program for Access and Student Success (COMPASS) which provides online school-library resources—such as Encyclopedia Britannica, Gale, and ProQuest—free to all public schools, charter schools, and local public libraries. https://www.library.ca.gov/services/to-public/k-12-online-content-project/. According to the California State Library website 90% of California schools and all public libraries are participants, and between 2017 and Summer 2025, COMPASS provided 717 million unique searches for information. COMPASS contains superior sources of unbiased information needed to complete research and school projects. Without access to these databases, students often depend on information provided on the greater internet which may be false, biased or politically skewed. Instead COMPASS resources are indexed collections of newspaper, journal and magazine articles that are curated to assure accuracy and are licensed by their creators.

Write to our State Assembly people and insist they reconsider. If COMPASS funding is not restored, the digital divide in Monterey County will widen. Students in our rural and under-resourced communities will lose access to the vetted, safe homework materials they rely on.