The 74 shares comments from educators on proposed changes to E-Rate, including a comment from Minnesota…

The Trump administration’s plan to revise, or potentially discontinue, broadband discounts for schools and libraries is overwhelmingly unpopular, judging by the thousands of comments submitted since August.

Pleas from school administrators, librarians and education advocates to protect E-Rate represent the majority of the statements to the Federal Communications Commission. In June, Chairman Brendan Carr called for “right-sizing” the program and linked concerns about children’s excessive screen time to the 30-year-old program. But the education sector emphasizes that the funding supports not only instruction, but also systems like security, payroll and nutrition.

“Before a student even enters a classroom, E-Rate helps provide the network infrastructure that keeps Minnesota’s school districts running,” wrote Kimberley Dunn Lewis, associate director of government relations for the Minnesota School Boards Association. “When that connectivity is unavailable or unreliable, it can disrupt basic school operations and compromise districts’ ability to safely and effectively serve students.”