For immediate release | September 5, 2025
ALA Warns FCC Proposed Action Would Cut Off Internet for Library Patrons and Cost Libraries Nationwide
Washington – The American Library Association responded with disappointment to an announcement by the current Federal Communications Commission Chairman, who proposed reversing the FCC’s 2024 decision to authorize E-Rate funding for Wi-Fi hotspots checked out by public library patrons for internet access at home.
ALA President Sam Helmick said, “ALA has advocated for the FCC's new hotspot program because we know our communities need them. Students, adult learners, jobseekers, seniors, and rural residents all need high-speed internet, even after the library closes in the evening.
“Libraries have offered hotspot lending for a decade, and their experience proved transformative for people facing emergency situations. While libraries and schools are working hard to bridge digital learning gaps, Chairman Carr is tossing out the bricks of those bridges. Withdrawing the opportunity for people to check out Wi-Fi hotspots from their library is a step backwards.
“We are extremely concerned because most libraries that applied for federal E-Rate hotspot funding have signed contracts for those services,” said Helmick. “They may need to pull funding from other programs to pay for these contracts with service providers. It is unfair for libraries and the communities they serve to lose access to the critical supports they were promised.”
In 2025, the first year of the program, 1,762 libraries serving collectively more than 40 million patrons applied for hotspots. With experience using public funds to purchase and lend a wide range of resources, libraries are equipped to develop and enforce acceptable use policies for federally funded hotspots.
Library hotspot lending, a trend that began to emerge a decade ago, has become a proven strategy to bring information, reading and research to the public. ALA has documented the wide range of uses for hotspots, from programs for veteran job training, help for parents continuing their education online at home, and emergency connectivity when weather brings down wires and other infrastructure.
The E-Rate hotspots program has been under threat in Congress. AA Congressional Review Act resolution to abolish the hotspots program passed the Senate in May. The measure has been awaiting action in the U.S. House, where the companion legislation has only two sponsors.
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Contact:
Shawnda Hines
Deputy Director, Communications
American Library Association
Public Policy & Advocacy Office
shines@alawash.org
