WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A group of Democratic lawmakers on Monday urged the Federal Communications Commission chair to withdraw a plan to end government subsidies for wireless use on school buses after they were initially created under a COVID-era program.

The lawmakers led by Senator Ed Markey noted that in the 2024 budget the FCC provided $48 million to fund Wi-Fi on buses and over 8,000 schools and libraries have requested tens of millions of dollars for over 200,000 hotspot connections

for students and educators.

Removing federal support "would force cutbacks in service and impose abrupt costs on schools and libraries across the country," said the letter signed by more than 50 Democratic lawmakers.