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.
$16.0M committed · 27 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 Midwestern IU region the balance tilts toward Category 2 — $8.4M for internal networks against $4.1M in district connectivity — while the MIU IV RWAN carries a further $3.5M of the region's shared Category 1 backbone.1
Annual E-Rate commitments across the Midwestern IU region
FY2026 is still open — its lighter bar shows partial-year commitments to date. All 27 public districts of the Midwestern Intermediate Unit 4 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: 6 districts qualify at the maximum 90% rate — New Castle Area, Sharon City, and Farrell Area among them — and 14 of 27 districts sit at 80% or above.2 That need runs from the region's small cities to its rural townships alike, 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 Midwestern IU district by discount rate
Operated by the Midwestern IU
A shared regional network: the MIU IV RWAN.
The Midwestern Intermediate Unit coordinates a Regional Wide Area Network (RWAN) — a dedicated network engineered to deliver high-speed, reliable internet across Butler, Lawrence, and Mercer counties, filed with USAC as the Intermediate Unit 04 consortium.4 By aggregating demand across 17 member entities — public school districts, career & technical centers, and charter schools — the RWAN secures the high-capacity connectivity, DNS, and DDoS protection that modern classrooms and daily operations depend on. $3.5M in connectivity flows through the consortium's own Billed Entity Number (17000616), across 22 funded requests.
This is exactly the regional coordination the NPRM would undercut — the shared backbone that lets 17 institutions across three counties reach connectivity none could secure affordably alone.
The receipts
What E-Rate delivered, district by district.
Lifetime E-Rate commitments, funding years 2016–2026, for all 27 public districts of the Midwestern Intermediate Unit 4.1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butler Area | $914K | $1.4M | $2.3M |
| New Castle Area 90% | $838K | $637K | $1.5M |
| Seneca Valley | $312K | $756K | $1.1M |
| Moniteau | $398K | $263K | $661K |
| Knoch | $207K | $440K | $647K |
| Sharon City 90% | $48K | $510K | $558K |
| Hermitage | $105K | $441K | $546K |
| Mars Area | $195K | $350K | $545K |
| Karns City Area | $267K | $191K | $458K |
| Ellwood City Area | $8K | $424K | $432K |
| Wilmington Area | $136K | $182K | $318K |
| Farrell Area 90% | $146K | $170K | $316K |
| Slippery Rock Area | $14K | $292K | $306K |
| Greenville Area 90% | $42K | $217K | $260K |
| Shenango Area | $118K | $140K | $258K |
| Mohawk Area | $2K | $252K | $254K |
| Union Area | $8K | $231K | $238K |
| Mercer Area 90% | $144K | $92K | $236K |
| Reynolds | $12K | $221K | $233K |
| Lakeview | $5K | $228K | $233K |
| Sharpsville Area 90% | $102K | $123K | $226K |
| Laurel | $89K | $128K | $217K |
| Grove City Area | $5K | $212K | $216K |
| Neshannock Township | $0 | $191K | $191K |
| Jamestown Area | $19K | $118K | $137K |
| Commodore Perry | $3K | $67K | $70K |
| West Middlesex Area | $3K | $67K | $70K |
All 27 Midwestern 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 Midwestern 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 mapMidwestern IU 4 Consortium — 18 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 Midwestern IU region that means your two U.S. Senators — Sen. John Fetterman and Sen. Dave McCormick — and your U.S. Representatives — Rep. Glenn Thompson (PA‑15) and Rep. Mike Kelly (PA‑16) — 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 27 Midwestern Intermediate Unit 4 districts and the IU-operated regional WAN — $16.0M, 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 (~49,400 students).
- Urban / rural classification. USAC's urban/rural status for each funded service — 12 of the region's 27 districts labeled Urban and 15 Rural (63% of district funding non-rural), so a rural-only rule would strand most of the region's funding.
- MIU IV regional WAN. Connectivity committed under the Intermediate Unit 04 consortium's Billed Entity Number (17000616), as filed with USAC — the Midwestern IU-operated regional wide area network serving 17 member entities (districts, career & technical centers, and charter schools) with internet, DNS, and DDoS protection ($3.5M, 22 funding requests). Membership and service details provided by the Midwestern IU technology office.
- Target universe & Billed Entity Numbers. The 27 Midwestern IU 4 (Intermediate Unit 4) member districts across Butler, Lawrence, and Mercer 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.
