Senator Markey is the House author of the original E-Rate program

Washington (May 6, 2025) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, released the following statement ahead of today’s procedural vote on a Congressional Review Act resolution that would overturn a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rule allowing schools and libraries to use their E-Rate funds to loan Wi-Fi hotspots to students and educators.

“Repealing the FCC’s expansion of the E-Rate program is a cruel and shortsighted decision that will widen the digital divide and rob kids of the tools they need to succeed. For millions of students — especially in low-income, rural, and underserved communities — Wi-Fi hotspots are lifelines to learning,” said Senator Markey. “This resolution won’t save any money, but it will cost our country dearly in lost opportunity. It undermines years of progress closing the Homework Gap and turns our backs on children who simply want to learn and thrive. I encourage my colleagues to put our kids first and oppose this resolution.”

In February 2024, Senator Markey, Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Congresswoman Grace Meng (NY-06) led 64 of their colleagues in a letter to then-FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel supporting the Commission’s proposal to expand the E-Rate program. Senator Markey is the House author of the original E-Rate program, which has invested nearly $62 billion to connect schools and libraries to the internet across the country. Massachusetts schools and libraries have received more than $895 million from the E-Rate program and another $97 million from the Emergency Connectivity Fund, a $7 billion program that Senators Markey and Van Hollen created within the American Rescue Plan to provide devices and connectivity for students and educators at home.

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