What’s at stake
A proven program faces its biggest threat.
E-Rate is the fifth largest stream of federal funding in the nation’s schools. It is the only federal education technology program, and over nearly 30 years it has consistently, effectively and responsibly supported connectivity for schools and libraries in every one of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties. In June 2026 the FCC opened a rulemaking that asks whether it should continue.
What you need to know
E-Rate helps schools and libraries access the affordable broadband that supports the connectivity and network modern buildings need to carry on the important work of serving students and patrons.
$37.7M committed · 43 public school districtsSee it on the interactive map →E-Rate is a proven program that has single-handedly transformed internet access in classrooms. The program has a long track record of success and enjoys strong bi-partisan support on Capitol Hill. The FCC’s review is expansive and asks more than 100 questions about the program, its future, and its structure.
Read a summary of the FCC’s NPRM (PDF) →How you can engage
Here’s everything you need to know about WHY your voice matters, HOW to craft your response, and WHERE to file it with the FCC.
Comments are due October 13, 2026Read our Call to Action (PDF) →We are fielding a lot of questions as members work through the proposal and begin writing their comments. We have some answers!
Read our FAQ for more information (PDF) →The summary, Call to Action and FAQ are published by AASA, The School Superintendents Association and the Association of Educational Service Agencies, co-branded with the Pennsylvania Digital Trust Hub and the Allegheny Intermediate Unit. Read the AASA blog →
Where the money goes
Two categories. One connected classroom.
E-Rate funds arrive in two forms. Category 1 pays for the broadband circuits that reach the building. Category 2 pays for the Wi-Fi and switching that carry it to every desk. Allegheny County's schools depend on both.1
Annual E-Rate commitments across Allegheny County
FY2026 is still open — its lighter bar shows partial-year commitments to date. All Allegheny County public districts, CTCs, and the Allegheny Connect consortium, funding years 2016–2026. The FY2021 Category 2 spike reflects post-pandemic Wi-Fi rebuilds. Committed federal share, de-duplicated to the funding-request level. Source: USAC Open Data.
Support that follows need — and it isn't rural
The less a district can afford, the more E-Rate provides.
E-Rate scales its support to a district's share of economically disadvantaged students, so the county's least-resourced districts draw the deepest support: 17 districts qualify at the maximum 90% rate — Pittsburgh Public Schools among them — and more than a third at 80% or above.2 Yet these are not rural communities. They are the city of Pittsburgh and the boroughs and river towns around it — 85% of funded services are classified Urban by USAC, just 6% rural — so a rural-only rule would disqualify nearly the entire $46.2M.3
See every Allegheny County district by discount rate
Coordinated by the AIU
A shared regional network: Allegheny Connect.
The AIU coordinates Allegheny Connect — a shared regional wide-area network that delivers high-quality, high-capacity connectivity to its 46 member districts and career-technical centers. Buying as one region secures enterprise-grade fiber that no single district could procure affordably alone, and E-Rate covers the discounted majority of the cost. $6.48M in Category 1 funding flows through the consortium's own Billed Entity Number, reaching roughly 285 schools across the county.4
This is exactly the regional coordination the NPRM would undercut — the mechanism that lets 46 districts and centers, large and small, share one resilient backbone. (The AIU separately files $1.6M for its own facilities.)
The receipts
What E-Rate delivered, district by district.
Lifetime E-Rate commitments, funding years 2016–2026, for the highest-funded districts in Allegheny County.1 The 90% badge marks maximum-discount, highest-need districts.
Select any district name to see it highlighted on the interactive map.
| District / Center | Category 1 | Category 2 | Total funded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Public Schools 90% | $6.6M | $3.5M | $10.1M |
| Woodland Hills 90% | $1.2M | $819K | $2.1M |
| Penn Hills 90% | $501K | $822K | $1.3M |
| North Allegheny | $530K | $786K | $1.3M |
| West Mifflin Area 90% | $570K | $744K | $1.3M |
| Gateway 90% | $597K | $716K | $1.3M |
| McKeesport Area 90% | $666K | $572K | $1.2M |
| West Allegheny | $236K | $931K | $1.2M |
| Steel Valley 90% | $892K | $197K | $1.1M |
| Highlands 90% | $435K | $614K | $1.0M |
| Baldwin-Whitehall | $241K | $790K | $1.0M |
| Elizabeth Forward | $661K | $341K | $1.0M |
| Moon Area | $394K | $573K | $968K |
| Plum Borough | $289K | $514K | $803K |
| Fox Chapel Area | $265K | $524K | $789K |
Top 15 of 45 funded organizations shown. Figures are USAC-committed federal amounts, de-duplicated to the funding-request level (one commitment per request, not per school served). Consortium (RWAN) commitments are reported separately above.
Your voice is needed — now
Take action to protect E-Rate.
The FCC’s comment period on Docket 26-133 closes October 13, 2026 — a narrow window to show the Commission and Congress what these changes would cost our schools. Here are three ways to help, in the order that matters most.
Sign on with the Digital Trust Hub
Add your district or organization to our coalition standing up for E-Rate. One signature adds your name to the comment we file with the FCC on Docket 26-133 and to our coalition’s letters to lawmakers.
Sign your district on →Write your own comment to the FCC
Your own comment is counted separately from ours, and the Commission weighs individual, evidence-based comments far more heavily than identical form letters. Our partners at AASA (The School Superintendents Association) have a guided tool that turns your words and your organization’s real E-Rate figures into a comment ready to file.
Figures in the builder cover FY2021–25; this page covers FY2016–26. Both are USAC data — they count different years.
Build your FCC comment →Tell Congress to protect E-Rate
Reach out directly to your lawmakers. Our partners at the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) have a one-click tool that finds your U.S. Senators and Representative and sends them your message.
Contact Congress now →Your Pennsylvania delegation
The tool routes to your exact offices automatically. For Allegheny County that means your two U.S. Senators — Sen. John Fetterman and Sen. Dave McCormick — and your U.S. Representatives — Rep. Summer Lee (PA‑12) and Rep. Chris Deluzio (PA‑17) — depending on where you live.
Short on words? Use this template for Step 3 ↓
Make it local: find your district on the county map and drop your own numbers into the letter — a message grounded in your district’s figures lands hardest.
Sources
The data behind this page.
Every figure on this page comes from USAC's public federal E-Rate Open Data, funding years 2016–2026. Each source is linked below. How we pulled and de-duplicated this data →
- E-Rate funding committed to the region. The federal share of funded requests for Allegheny County's districts, career-technical centers, and the AIU-coordinated RWAN consortium — $46.2M, FY2016–2026.
- Discount rates & student need. Category 1/2 discount rates and the school-level free/reduced-lunch (NSLP) percentages that set them.
- Urban / rural classification. USAC's urban/rural status for each funded service — 85% Urban, 6% Rural across the region.
- Allegheny Connect consortium. Category 1 connectivity committed under the consortium's Billed Entity Number (17000532) — the AIU-coordinated shared regional wide-area network ($6.48M). The AIU also files $1.6M under 149436 for its own sites.
- Target universe & Billed Entity Numbers. The 42 AIU (IU 3) member districts, 4 career-technical centers, the Allegheny IU RWAN consortium, and Pittsburgh Public Schools (IU 2) — each entity's Billed Entity Number confirmed against USAC's public entity records.USAC entity lookup 7i5i-83qf ↗
- Proposed FCC rule changes. Summarized from the member advocacy update by the Association of Educational Service Agencies (AESA) — with the School Superintendents Association (AASA), the Association of School Business Officials (ASBO), and the National Rural Education Association (NREA) — on the FCC's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) reviewing the E-Rate program.
- Consortium membership. The RWAN consortium's 46 member districts and career-technical centers, from USAC's Form 470 consortium-entity records.
