OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta joined a multistate coalition on Tuesday to formally oppose Federal Communications Commission proposals to restrict or terminate the federal E-Rate program.

The coalition includes attorneys general from Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington. The group submitted a comment letter arguing that the FCC’s proposed changes are contrary to law, in excess of statutory authority, and arbitrary and capricious in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act.

The Federal Communications Commission is considering complete termination of the E-Rate program, as well as eliminating certain types of eligible services. The agency is also considering excluding Head Start and pre-kindergarten classrooms from eligibility, reducing support in urban districts, and abandoning the National School Lunch Program as the metric for determining poverty in school districts. Additionally, the FCC is considering conditioning the receipt of funds on compliance with federal education policies that seek to limit screen time, meet specific academic outcomes, allow parents to opt out of technology-based curriculum, and monitor personal devices accessing an E-Rate-supported network.

More than 90% of public schools nationwide have relied on E-Rate support for decades. The program provides discounts covering 20% to 90% of the cost of eligible telecommunication and information services.

"Nearly all of the nation’s public schools rely on the E-Rate program for internet access," said Attorney General Rob Bonta. "The funding provided to schools through the federal E-Rate program is vital to ensuring our students get the quality education they deserve."

"In this digital era where technology is growing increasingly important in the world of learning, we must prioritize policies that protect equal access to technology for all students, not stifle it," said Attorney General Rob Bonta. "I urge the FCC to abandon its proposals regarding dismantling or restructuring this crucial E-Rate program."

The coalition asserts that terminating the program would violate the Administrative Procedure Act and the FCC’s obligation under the 1996 Telecommunications Act. It further argues that narrowing the scope of services would contradict the agency’s statutory obligations, including its mandate to provide mechanisms to preserve and advance broadband connection.

The group contends that the FCC lacks the authority to override state and local education policy decisions by conditioning funds on compliance with federal policies. The coalition also asserts that several proposed changes violate the Administrative Procedure Act because they are arbitrary and capricious and lack evidentiary support, and that the changes would impose severe administrative, educational, and operational costs on school districts.