School Groups Rally Behind E-Rate Program

By Andrew Trotter

Washington

Groups representing U.S. public and private schools, school administrators, and the nation's largest teachers' union have launched a "Save the E-Rate Campaign" to avert efforts to cut federal subsidies for telecommunications services for schools and libraries.

Leaders of some of the groups say they fear that Congress or the Federal Communications Commission will scale back the education-rate program, which could provide discounts of up to $2.25 billion annually on purchases of services and equipment.

"I do think [a rollback] is a real threat," Joseph S. Villani, an associate executive director of the National School Boards Association in Alexandria, Va., said last week. "We are actively lobbying to keep the initial level of...