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.
$18.8M committed · 35 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 Appalachia region the balance tilts toward Category 2 — $9.4M for internal networks against $6.5M in district connectivity — while the Appalachia IU8 RWAN carries a further $2.9M of the region's shared Category 1 backbone.1
Annual E-Rate commitments across the Appalachia IU region
FY2026 is still open — its lighter bar shows partial-year commitments to date. All 35 public districts of the Appalachia Intermediate Unit 8 plus the IU-operated RWAN, 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: 9 districts qualify at the maximum 90% rate — Altoona Area, Greater Johnstown, and North Star among them — and 26 of 35 districts sit at 80% or above.2 That need runs from the small cities of Altoona and Johnstown to the region's rural mountain townships alike, which is why a rural-only rule would strand its two largest districts, and a sunset would end this support for every district at once.3
See every Appalachia IU district by discount rate
Operated by the Appalachia IU
A shared regional network: the Appalachia IU8 RWAN.
The Appalachia Intermediate Unit coordinates a Regional Wide Area Network (RWAN) — a dedicated network engineered to deliver high-speed, reliable internet across Bedford, Blair, Cambria, and Somerset counties, filed with USAC as the Appalachia IU8 RWAN Consortium.4 By aggregating demand across 19 member entities — public school districts and career & technical centers — the RWAN secures the high-capacity internet connectivity that modern classrooms and daily operations depend on. $2.9M in connectivity flows through the consortium's own Billed Entity Number (17000588), across 20 funded requests.
This is exactly the regional coordination the NPRM would undercut — the shared backbone that lets 19 institutions across four rural 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 35 public districts of the Appalachia Intermediate Unit 8.1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Altoona Area 90% | $741K | $1.7M | $2.4M |
| Greater Johnstown 90% | $1.2M | $508K | $1.7M |
| Spring Cove | $560K | $510K | $1.1M |
| Hollidaysburg Area | $542K | $124K | $666K |
| Bedford Area | $162K | $477K | $638K |
| North Star 90% | $262K | $350K | $612K |
| Penn Cambria | $406K | $194K | $600K |
| Claysburg-Kimmel 90% | $421K | $139K | $560K |
| Central Cambria | $191K | $356K | $547K |
| Forest Hills | $105K | $423K | $528K |
| Somerset Area | $47K | $474K | $521K |
| Chestnut Ridge | $142K | $365K | $507K |
| Tyrone Area | $0 | $496K | $496K |
| Windber Area 90% | $215K | $276K | $491K |
| Cambria Heights | $120K | $304K | $423K |
| Bellwood-Antis | $172K | $239K | $411K |
| Tussey Mountain | $177K | $229K | $407K |
| Richland | $116K | $280K | $396K |
| Westmont Hilltop | $176K | $201K | $376K |
| Ferndale Area 90% | $160K | $132K | $292K |
| Conemaugh Valley 90% | $111K | $175K | $286K |
| Turkeyfoot Valley Area 90% | $215K | $63K | $278K |
| Conemaugh Township Area | $100K | $178K | $278K |
| Portage Area | $8K | $214K | $222K |
| Everett Area | $20K | $198K | $218K |
| Northern Bedford County | $3K | $213K | $216K |
| Northern Cambria 90% | $29K | $162K | $191K |
| Meyersdale Area | $4K | $160K | $164K |
| Blacklick Valley | $37K | $116K | $153K |
| Rockwood Area | $52K | $54K | $106K |
| Williamsburg Community | $0 | $88K | $88K |
| Shade-Central City | $6K | $40K | $46K |
| Salisbury-Elk Lick | $16K | $0 | $16K |
| Shanksville-Stonycreek | $4K | $0 | $4K |
| Berlin Brothersvalley | $2K | $0 | $2K |
All 35 Appalachia 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 Appalachia 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 mapAppalachia IU 8 RWAN Consortium — 25 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 Appalachia IU region that means your two U.S. Senators — Sen. John Fetterman and Sen. Dave McCormick — and your U.S. Representative — Rep. John Joyce (PA‑13).
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 35 Appalachia Intermediate Unit 8 districts and the IU-operated RWAN — $18.8M, 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 (~47,800 students).
- Urban / rural classification. USAC's urban/rural status for each funded service — 8 of the region's 35 districts labeled Urban and 27 Rural — a rural-only rule would exclude the 8 urban districts (including Altoona and Greater Johnstown, the two largest), while a sunset would end funding for all 35.
- MIU IV regional WAN. Connectivity committed under the Appalachia IU8 RWAN Consortium's Billed Entity Number (17000588), as filed with USAC — the Appalachia IU-operated regional wide area network serving 19 member entities (public school districts and career & technical centers) with high-capacity internet connectivity ($2.9M, 20 funding requests). Membership and service details provided by the Appalachia IU technology office.
- Target universe & Billed Entity Numbers. The 35 Appalachia IU 8 (Intermediate Unit 8) member districts across Bedford, Blair, Cambria, and Somerset counties and the IU-operated 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.
