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.
$19.1M committed · 13 public school districts and the shared regional networkSee 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. Across the Colonial IU region the balance tilts strongly to Category 2 — $12.0M for internal networks against $4.8M in district connectivity — while the Colonial IU consortium carries a further $2.4M of the region's shared Category 1 backbone.1
Annual E-Rate commitments across the Colonial IU region
FY2026 is still open — its lighter bar shows partial-year commitments to date. All 13 public districts of the Colonial Intermediate Unit 20 plus the IU-operated regional WAN, funding years 2016–2026. Committed federal share, de-duplicated to the funding-request level. Source: USAC Open Data.
Support that follows need
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 region's least-resourced districts draw the deepest support: East Stroudsburg Area qualifies at the maximum 90% rate, Pocono Mountain at 85%, and 9 of 13 districts sit at 80% or above.2 That need runs from the Lehigh Valley cities to the Pocono and Slate Belt communities, which is why a rural-only rule would strand the region's largest, highest-need districts, and a sunset would end this support for every district at once.3
See every Colonial IU district by discount rate
Operated by the Colonial IU
A shared regional network: the Colonial IU consortium.
The Colonial Intermediate Unit operates a regional wide area network — filed with USAC as the Colonial Intermediate Unit 20 Consortium4 — delivering 40 Gb of shared internet service to 19 member entities: 12 school districts, 3 career & technical centers, 2 charter schools, a non-public school, and an intermediate unit. Beyond bulk internet, the consortium provides DDoS protection to every participant plus firewall, network monitoring, secure remote access, and phone services — enterprise-grade infrastructure no single district could buy or defend alone. $2.4M flows through the consortium's own Billed Entity Number (17002701), across 53 funded requests.
This is exactly the regional coordination the NPRM would undercut — the shared backbone that lets 19 institutions across three counties reach high-capacity, secure connectivity at a cost none could match on its own.
The receipts
What E-Rate delivered, district by district.
Lifetime E-Rate commitments, funding years 2016–2026, for all 13 public districts of the Colonial Intermediate Unit 20.1 The 90% badge marks maximum-discount, highest-need districts.
Select any district name to see it highlighted on the interactive map.
| District | Category 1 | Category 2 | Total funded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bethlehem Area | $1.3M | $3.0M | $4.3M |
| East Stroudsburg Area 90% | $1.6M | $1.8M | $3.4M |
| Easton Area | $625K | $2.0M | $2.7M |
| Pleasant Valley | $359K | $1.3M | $1.6M |
| Pocono Mountain | $55K | $1.3M | $1.4M |
| Delaware Valley | $368K | $558K | $926K |
| Northampton Area | $260K | $485K | $746K |
| Nazareth Area | $0 | $503K | $503K |
| Bangor Area | $82K | $349K | $431K |
| Wilson Area | $47K | $281K | $328K |
| Pen Argyl Area | $3K | $252K | $255K |
| Saucon Valley | $4K | $181K | $185K |
| Stroudsburg Area | $38K | $0 | $38K |
All 13 Colonial IU districts shown. Figures are USAC-committed federal amounts, de-duplicated to the funding-request level (one commitment per request, not per school served). The regional WAN's commitments are reported separately above.
See it on the map
See Colonial on the map.
Every district’s E-Rate funding, drawn straight from USAC’s public data. Hover or tap any district for its Category 1 and 2 totals, discount rate, and USAC urban/rural label.
See the shared network on the statewide mapColonial IU 20 Consortium — 13 districts →
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 the Colonial IU region that means your two U.S. Senators — Sen. John Fetterman and Sen. Dave McCormick — and your U.S. Representatives — Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (PA‑07) and Rep. Robert Bresnahan (PA‑08) — depending on where you live.
Short on words? Use this template for Step 3 ↓
Make it local: find your district on the regional 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 the 13 Colonial Intermediate Unit 20 districts and the IU-operated regional WAN — $19.1M, FY2016–2026.
- Discount rates & student need. Category 1/2 discount rates and the school-level free/reduced-lunch (NSLP) percentages that set them, plus full-time enrollment (~72,200 students).
- Urban / rural classification. USAC's urban/rural status for each funded service — 7 of the region's 13 districts labeled Urban and 6 Rural (72% of district funding non-rural), so a rural-only rule would strand most of the region's funding.
- Colonial IU regional WAN. Connectivity and services committed under the Colonial Intermediate Unit 20 Consortium's Billed Entity Number (17002701), as filed with USAC — the IU-operated regional WAN delivering 40 Gb shared internet, DDoS protection, firewall, monitoring, and phone services to 19 member entities ($2.4M, 53 funding requests). Membership and service details provided by the Colonial IU technology office.
- Target universe & Billed Entity Numbers. The 13 Colonial IU 20 (Intermediate Unit 20) member districts across Northampton, Monroe, and Pike counties and the IU-operated regional WAN — 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.
