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.
$18.0M committed · 15 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 Delaware County the balance tilts strongly to Category 2 — $9.8M for internal networks against $5.5M in district connectivity — while the DCIU RWAN adds $2.7M of shared Category 1 backbone.1
Annual E-Rate commitments across Delaware County
FY2026 is still open — its lighter bar shows partial-year commitments to date. All 15 public districts of Delaware County (Intermediate Unit 25) plus the DCIU-managed 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 county's highest-need districts draw the deepest support: 6 districts qualify at the maximum 90% rate — Upper Darby, William Penn, and Chichester among them — while the county's more affluent districts receive 40–60%.2 But every district depends on the program — and because USAC labels all of them non-rural, a rural-only rule would strand the entire county at once, while a sunset would end this support for every district regardless of means.3
See every Delaware County district by discount rate
Managed by DCIU
A shared county backbone: the DCIU RWAN.
The Delaware County Intermediate Unit manages the Regional Wide Area Network (RWAN) — a secure, high-speed fiber-optic network filed with USAC as the Delaware County IU RWAN Consortium4 — interconnecting 15 member entities: school districts, career & technical schools, and Delaware County government. Through consortium purchasing and E-Rate, DCIU delivers enterprise-grade connectivity, wide-area links, private server hosting, proactive monitoring, and redundancy — the foundation for instructional, administrative, and cybersecurity services county-wide. $2.7M flows through the consortium's own Billed Entity Number (17000533), across 46 funded requests.
This is exactly the regional coordination the NPRM would undercut — the shared fiber backbone that lets 15 institutions across one county reach resilient, secure infrastructure at a cost no single district could match alone.
The receipts
What E-Rate delivered, district by district.
Lifetime E-Rate commitments, funding years 2016–2026, for all 15 public districts of Delaware County (Intermediate Unit 25).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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Darby 90% | $557K | $2.2M | $2.8M |
| William Penn 90% | $828K | $1.0M | $1.9M |
| Ridley | $377K | $1.3M | $1.6M |
| Southeast Delco 90% | $262K | $1.2M | $1.5M |
| Chichester 90% | $685K | $785K | $1.5M |
| Chester-Upland 90% | $928K | $8K | $936K |
| Haverford Township | $272K | $629K | $901K |
| Springfield | $337K | $414K | $751K |
| Interboro 90% | $101K | $639K | $740K |
| Wallingford-Swarthmore | $290K | $307K | $597K |
| Garnet Valley | $109K | $487K | $596K |
| Marple Newtown | $222K | $258K | $480K |
| Radnor Township | $178K | $261K | $439K |
| Rose Tree Media | $187K | $128K | $315K |
| Penn-Delco | $147K | $131K | $278K |
All 15 Delaware County districts shown. Figures are USAC-committed federal amounts, de-duplicated to the funding-request level (one commitment per request, not per school served). Chichester files under Billed Entity Number 146331; USAC no longer publishes FY2016 commitments, so its row covers FY2017–2026. Consortium (RWAN) commitments are reported separately above.
See it on the map
See Delaware County 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 mapDelaware County IU 25 RWAN Consortium — 15 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 Delaware County that means your two U.S. Senators — Sen. John Fetterman and Sen. Dave McCormick — and your U.S. Representative, Rep. Mary Scanlon (PA‑05).
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 county. The federal share of Funded requests for the 15 Delaware County (Intermediate Unit 25) districts and the DCIU-managed RWAN — $18.0M, 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 (~71,500 students).
- Urban / rural classification. USAC's urban/rural status for each funded service — all of Delaware County's funded districts are labeled Urban (100% of district funding non-rural), so a rural-only rule would exclude the entire county.
- DCIU Regional Wide Area Network. Connectivity and services committed under the Delaware County IU RWAN Consortium's Billed Entity Number (17000533), as filed with USAC — the DCIU-managed fiber-optic regional network serving 15 member entities (districts, career & technical schools, and county government) with internet, wide-area connectivity, and private server hosting ($2.7M, 46 funding requests). Membership and service details provided by the DCIU technology office.
- Target universe & Billed Entity Numbers. The 15 Delaware County IU 25 (Intermediate Unit 25) member districts and the DCIU-managed RWAN — 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.
