News

FCC to review E-Rate screen time and online safety standards

04 June 2026

Macro of many silicon Wafer with semiconductors in box inside clean room

This alert highlights a significant and timely development at the FCC, as the Commission signals a potential rethink of the E‑Rate Program amid growing attention to children's screen time and online safety. The proceeding, if adopted, could have meaningful implications for service providers, edtech, schools, and libraries, as well as broader trends to regulate online safety at the federal level.

Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) Chairman Brendan Carr has announced a proceeding to review the FCC’s E-Rate Program, citing concerns about the harms of screen time for children and increased screen time in schools. If adopted at the Commission’s June 25 Open Meeting, the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking would consider “measures the Commission can take to empower parents, guardians, and teachers and better protect children when using E-Rate-funded networks and services” and “actions the Commission can take to further strengthen E-Rate program integrity and streamline program administration.”

In particular, among other things, the proceeding would seek comment on:

measures to ensure the E-Rate program funds are being spent consistently with universal service principles,
whether the Commission’s current interpretation of the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) is the best reading and whether existing CIPA requirements sufficiently protect children from inappropriate and harmful content when using school and library computers to access E-Rate-funded services, and
potential legal and policy considerations for assessing children’s screen time and protecting and empowering parents and teachers in decision making regarding access to E-Rate-funded networks and services, among other things.

Authored by Mark Brennan, Katy Milner, Ryan Thompson, Thomas Veitch, and Erin Mizraki.