Editor’s note: A previous version of this story inaccurately included school bus Wi-Fi as being stripped from E-Rate.
Sen. Ted Cruz and fellow Republicans in Congress view Wi-Fi hotspots as an overstep of the federal E-Rate program, which was originally mandated to serve the internet needs of students at school campuses and libraries.
The senator from Texas notched an initial victory in his attempt to prohibit the funding of individual hotspot devices that school districts send home with students who don’t have affordable or any high-speed broadband access Thursday. Senate Joint Resolution 7 passed by a vote of 50-38 with 12 senators not casting votes. It does not include a provision prohibiting school bus Wi-Fi.
Using the Congressional Review Act, Cruz and 15 other Republican senators—including co-sponsor Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota—await the fate of a companion bill in the House, H.J. Resolution 33, to void the Federal Communication Commissions’ “Addressing the Homework Gap Through the E-Rate Program” published in the Federal Register last August.
If the House version proceeds, both chambers would need to reconcile any differences in committee before approving a final version for President Donald Trump’s signature.
A spokesperson for internet connectivity company Kajeet noted that the resolutions don’t impact school districts that have already completed required paperwork to obtain E-Rate discounts for school bus Wi-Fi equipment scheduled to be installed this summer for next school year. But Congress could revisit school bus Wi-Fi at a later date.
In 2023, then FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel’s advanced her “Learning Without Limits” initiative that included an expansion of E-Rate to provide 20- to 90-percent discounts for school bus Wi-Fi equipment purchases and installations, depending on if the location is urban or rural and the economic needs of the community. The Democrat-majority FCC board approved a declaratory ruling that October, and school bus Wi-Fi was included under E-Rate for the current school year.
But congressional Republicans led by Sen. Cruz say E-Rate funding is tantamount to “subsidizing TikTok on school buses.” He also claims USF spending is out of control and was instrumental in filing a lawsuit against FCC alleging that school bus Wi-Fi promotes student online bullying, a case that made it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court this spring.
However, FCC mandates content filtering and adherence to the Children’s Internet Protection Act.
Kajeet issued a statement Thursday that the Senate approval of the CRA represents “a setback to efforts aimed at funding off-campus student Wi-Fi hotspots through E-Rate.” The wireless connectivity provider also urged the House to “carefully consider the compelling data demonstrating the effectiveness and safety of managed hotspots.”
Kajeet said its cloud-based Sentinel content filtering, management and analytics platform blocked billions of student attempts last year to access Tik Tok and other non-educational sites. The company added that thousands of schools and libraries have already applied for E-Rate funding next year, and a reversal of the off-campus Wi-Fi could impact more than 6 million people nationwide.
“We fully recognize the significant impact this E-Rate reversal for hotspots will have on districts’ carefully laid plans to provide essential off-campus connectivity,” said Kajeet CEO Ben Weintraub. “By honoring E-Rate pricing, we aim to provide immediate stability and empower districts to continue their indispensable programs without disruption, ensuring that no student is left behind.”
David Schuler, executive director of AASA: The School Superintendents Association, said during a Thursday press conference held outside Capitol Hill rolling back the FCC policy will have a “devastating impact” on the 15 million students and families nationwide who rely on E-Rate for internet access outside the school building. He added nearly 20,000 schools and libraries have already applied for E-Rate funding for hundreds of thousand of hotspots.
“If this resolution passes, those applications, those children will be left offline and left behind,” he said. “Our nation continues to grapple with the digital divide that disproportionately affects low income rural and historically underserved students. Now is not the time to roll back access and connectivity.”
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