The cost of online access for schools and libraries across Alaska could increase dramatically if a long standing federal subsidy ends.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is reviewing the E-Rate program that, for three decades, has helped schools and libraries across the nation lower their connectivity costs. In the past, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has suggested the subsidy should be reduced or eliminated. Alaska school leaders and public librarians are worried about a potential cut at a time when districts are already struggling with budget deficits.
Tiki Levinson has been an Alaska librarian for decades, first in the Bristol Bay district at the Naknek school and now as the public librarian in Delta Junction. She was the school librarian in Naknek when the E-Rate subsidy first became available in the 1990s. She said that it was transformative.
“We knew it had a lot of potential to help students, but we had no idea how we were going to be able to afford to bring that tool to our community. And so the E-Rate program opened that door and let us start offering educational access to the internet,” Levinson said.
The advocacy group, Schools, Health and Libraries Broadband Coalition, lists Alaska’s E-rate subsidy at $806.1 million between 2021 and 2025. The funds supported 710 different school and library locations in Alaska.
NPR reporting notes broadband policy and the universal service fund that pays the subsidy were included in the Project 2025 document as a target to reduce spending.
Carr helped write that chapter and in late June released data raising concerns with “pervasive screen time and poor student outcomes” as a reason for the review and potential changes.
Levinson said in Delta Junction, many Elders don’t have home internet or online skills, so the library’s subsidized internet service helps the seniors file their taxes, schedule medical appointments, and apply for the Permanent Fund dividend. She said it even helped a man who got a service dog in the Lower 48.
“He went there to pick the dog up and get training, and then he came back here to Delta Junction, and he was able to participate in further training and meetings with the people that provided him with his dog so that he could continue to have the dog in his life,” Levinson said.
The executive director of the Association of Alaska School Boards, Tiffany Jackson, said she’s been working with the association’s members to advocate for the subsidy. She noted the high internet cost in Alaska and said hearing the E-Rate program was under threat was alarming.
“It would be a definite hit to the budget if school districts were to lose E-Rate, and they're already facing financial strains with funding levels the way they are in the state,” Jackson said.
Jackson said if the E-Rate subsidy were eliminated, it could mean some schools would not be able to afford internet access. And she knows from experience that for remote, smaller schools, students need online access to complete required courses.
“That's not a unique story for Alaska. My daughter attended school in Sandpoint this last year for eighth grade, and her math teacher was not located within the district, so she had to participate in math remotely,” Jackson said.
The FCC did not respond to a request for comment about the specific E-Rate program needs in Alaska. But in an emailed statement, an FCC spokesperson wrote, “The intent of this proceeding is to take a top-to-bottom review of the E-Rate program to ensure the program is supporting the good educational outcomes that Congress had in mind when it started the program 30 years ago. As the Chairman has expressed, while parents have the ability to supervise screen use and monitor Internet access at home, that parental control does not extend the same way into their kids’ classrooms and libraries.”
Jackson said that losing the subsidy would hit the state hard.
“As long as there are Alaskans that don't have access to or can't afford their own broadband connection. It's absolutely critical that our libraries have E-Rate and broadband,” Jackson said.
In the island community of Kodiak, Public Librarian Laurie Madsen said losing the E-Rate subsidy would increase the library’s monthly internet bill from $310 per month to $1,600 per month. And for the small, volunteer-run libraries in Port Lions and Chiniak, it could doom their ability to even stay open. Madsen pointed to the expense, especially in rural areas where many Alaskans lack access to affordable, high speed broadband.
“We have people sitting out in the parking lot accessing our internet access so that they can communicate with their families or whoever they're communicating with. So to say that the job is finished is ridiculous,” Madsen said.
Alaskans can comment on the FCC’s proposal through the Schools, Health and Libraries Broadband Coalition website at saveourerate.com. The official public comment period will open when the notice of proposed rulemaking is published in the Federal Register.
