Northwest Indiana Libraries Warn E-Rate Cuts Could Jeopardize $190,000 in Internet Support
Updated
Updated · Chicago Tribune · Sep 5
Northwest Indiana Libraries Warn E-Rate Cuts Could Jeopardize $190,000 in Internet Support
1 articles · Updated · Chicago Tribune · Sep 5
Summary
Lake County and Crown Point library leaders say a federal proposal could cut or effectively end E-Rate funding, threatening free internet access that residents relied on during last month’s storm outages.
E-Rate now covers 80%-90% of internet costs at Lake County Public Library—about $190,000 across nine locations—and 50% at Crown Point, or roughly $12,000 to $15,000 for its two branches.
Those subsidies also help pay for network upgrades, including a recently approved $180,000 Lake County project, and libraries say losing them could force cuts to programs, materials, e-books, streaming and possibly hours.
The warning comes as libraries urge patrons to file FCC comments by Oct. 13, while the agency points to a broader review of the program and concerns about children’s screen time.
Nationwide, about 73% of libraries and 96% of public schools use E-Rate, underscoring how deeply the 1996 program is woven into access to job applications, taxes, schoolwork and other basic online services.