The Federal Communications Commission adopted a two-pronged plan to increase broadband access and, at the same time, limit support for off-campus school connectivity. On one track, the agency worked on a plan to make it easier for networks — especially wireless siting, which carriers say are gummed up by local red tape — to get permits. On the other, it voted to no longer fund programs that placed Wi‑Fi on school buses and allowed districts to lend hotspots to students, a decision critics say will only exacerbate the homework gap.
New Push On Wireless Siting Rules From the FCC
In a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking associated with Commissioner Brendan Carr’s “Build Agenda,” the FCC proposed to rein in state and local government approaches that can delay or cancel cell-site upgrades. The draft considers restraints on “concealment” requirements (think towers disguised as trees) where they effectively prohibit necessary expansion, a close look at recurring access and attachment fees, and more specific deadlines for permit decisions. It also wants a more predictable way to resolve disputes when municipalities and carriers deadlock.
For densified 5G networks, which require a large number of small nodes, fragmented siting rules have long been said by carriers and infrastructure builders to be costly and slow the spread of new coverage. The FCC has previously set “shot clocks” for wireless permits; this proposal would show a willingness to pare things down and also take aim at the fees that the agency believes are out of whack with actual costs.
Supporters say guardrails on fees and timelines could shave months off the deployment schedule. Local officials also counter that considerations of aesthetics and safety are legitimate, and that one-size-fits-all preemption risks ignoring communities’ local needs. That tension — faster networks versus local control — has characterized much of the 5G siting debate since the FCC’s small-cell orders years ago.
Wireline Permitting Still Murky for Fiber Builds
For fiber and other wired networks, the commission took a less definitive step, issuing a Notice of Inquiry rather than specific rules. It asks whether and how the FCC should establish expectations for processing rights-of-way applications and setting fees so high that they render a build economically infeasible. Utilities, rail crossings and municipal rights-of-way frequently head the list of fiber providers’ pain points.
The stakes are high: more than $42 billion in funding for the national Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Trust Fund under the 2021 infrastructure law is being managed by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, but the majority of the money would be aimed at wireline builds. Former NTIA leadership has conceded that allowing bottlenecks to slow projects, even when funding is in place, illustrates the reason industry wants clear rules across all jurisdictions.
Off-Campus School Wi‑Fi Loses FCC Support
In a separate vote, the FCC’s two Republican commissioners — Carr and newly appointed Commissioner Olivia Trusty — voted to ban off-campus school connectivity funding from participating in the E‑Rate program. That includes programs that put Wi‑Fi on school buses, and district initiatives to loan mobile hotspots to students who do not have home broadband. Former Chair Jessica Rosenworcel led this effort to help close the homework gap laid bare during remote learning.
Proponents of the rollback say that the universal service statute was meant to fund connections “to classrooms and libraries,” not homes or buses, and that stretching E‑Rate beyond its statutory text introduces legal risk. District leaders and digital equity groups say the decision flies in the face of realities on the ground — students are still doing homework on buses and at kitchen tables with spotty coverage. Now that the Affordable Connectivity Program’s funding is spent, there are fewer safety nets in place for low-income families, advocates caution.
Split Reactions and Legal Boundaries for FCC Moves
Public interest advocates warn that the FCC’s authority to supersede local siting rules may be more limited than industry would like, particularly in an era of deregulation that chipped away at the agency’s power over broadband. Harold Feld of Public Knowledge has observed that without more rigorous statutory hooks, broad preemption would likely face court battles. That background is part of why the commission is exploring avenues for wireline permitting rather than prescribing them in detail.
Democratic Commissioner Anna Gomez dissented on the school connectivity vote, saying the decision to cut funding was a rash one that disregards congressionally given authority and the realities of schools.
She cited examples like longer bus rides — nearly an hour on average in some states — where rolling Wi‑Fi effectively adds study time for students without home connectivity. Education associations like CoSN and the State Educational Technology Directors Association have tracked students still needing to rely on loaned hotspots for basic assignments, testing and tutoring.
What It Means For Networks And Classrooms
If the siting NPRM were to become final, wireless providers could expect quicker and more predictable timelines in connection with upgrades and infill construction that enhance coverage and capacity in urban areas as well as suburban ones. But cities are likely to rail at restrictions on aesthetic rules and ongoing fees that support management of rights-of-way, opening the door for litigation in state and federal courts. With fiber, clarity on permits and railroad crossings would significantly impact BEAD timelines; delays of any size can cascade out into construction seasons and procurement cycles.
For K‑12 districts already facing the prospect of no E‑Rate support for off-campus student connectivity, the end of it may force hard trade-offs: using local budgets to pay for bus Wi‑Fi and hotspots, squeezing chronic shortages in device checkouts that are depleting federal COVID relief devices or leaving some students offline after school. That calculation is most intense in rural and tribal areas where home broadband is hard to come by and mobile coverage varies. In sum, the FCC is betting that “streamlined” buildout will close access gaps over time while minimizing the size of the gap in school connectivity right now. Whether that calculus will hold for families confronted with connectivity gaps this semester is anyone’s guess.
