When Northwest Indiana residents faced extensive power outages last month after a tornado and derecho, libraries welcomed them to use their free wifi.
Established by Congress in 1996, the Federal Communications Commission’s E-Rate program helps libraries and schools eliminate 20-90% of their internet costs. Back then, only about 14% had internet access, compared to nearly all today, according to NPR.
Now, local libraries are sounding the alarm that the E-Rate program may face cuts or effectively end funding under a recent federal proposal – which could force libraries to find community programs to cut, for example, to cover that expense.
“The FCC is trying to defund library internet,” the Lake County Library wrote last month on its Facebook page.
“After the recent storms, we’ve seen huge crowds flock to the library to get online. We’ve seen the cars huddled in our parking lots to take advantage of our after-hours wifi. We know this is a vital service we provide to our community,” it added. “The FCC, however, needs to be convinced.”
They are encouraging residents to speak up for the E-Rate program by filing a public comment through the FCC’s website by Oct. 13. It encouraged patrons to use a template from the American Library Association’s website, but also to share their own experiences.
At the Lake County Public Library, the E-Rate program provides an 80-90% discount on their internet – covering about $190,000 at nine locations, Executive Director Carol Daumer Gutjahr said.
Aside from the internet, it also helps fund expensive network upgrades. A recent network improvement project was just approved in late August for $180,000, she said. That money is used partly to modernize servers and things like ensuring high-speed access.
“That’s huge for us,” she said in an interview.
The Crown Point Community Library receives a 50% discount – based on free and reduced school lunch numbers – which covers $12,000 to $15,000, at its branches in Crown Point and Winfield.
“It is significant,” Director Julie Wendorf said.
Expenses, including NIPSCO, are “all going up,” while funding is “going down,” she said.
She noted the Winfield library’s internet helped one man complete his dissertation during the outages, which was shared in a popular Facebook post.
Winfield didn’t lose power, but Crown Point did. When the Crown Point library reopened a couple days later, they had “over 1,000” people come by to use the internet, or power, she said.
An FCC spokeswoman declined to directly address questions on cuts to local library services, instead pointing to a July blog post on its website, which said the ‘top-to-bottom review’” was “ long overdue” – with primary concerns over “screentime for kids.”
“I am not entirely sure that is their responsibility,” Daumer Gutjahr said, noting parents can regulate screentime themselves. “Each family should decide how they want to raise and bring up their child.”
In reality, library internet is a “critical community infrastructure,” Wendorf said.
About 96% of public schools and 73% of libraries nationwide use the E-Rate program, according to Funds for Learning, which tracks usage.
In Project 2025, the far-right Heritage Foundation’s blueprint for the Trump administration, now FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said because of advancements in technology, decisions about the program “should be made with an eye to right-sizing the federal government’s existing broadband initiatives,” according to the Associated Press.
Every day, people use the library to apply for unemployment, file taxes, print documents or labels for their e-commerce businesses, Wendorf added. Many government services aren’t done in person anymore, she said, and library staff members are there to also help people figure out how to use the computer.
Daumer Gutjahr added their patrons use it for everything from schoolwork and remote work while their children play to talking online with family around the world.
At the Lake County library, the ax would potentially have to fall on expenses like programs or supplies, heat and cooling, she said. It could also mean things like reducing copies of purchased books, reducing streaming or e-book offerings.
“Some of those are a cost-per-use for us,” she said. “It adds up really quickly.”
Staffing is below pre-COVID levels and some branches are already running on reduced hours, which she was reluctant to cut further.
It would be “too harmful to the community and our mission,” she said.
The Gary Public Library was closed Friday. Representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
[email protected]; the Associated Press contributed.