Fifty-five Maine schools, libraries and administrative districts are to share more than $1.3 million in funding under the E-Rate program, U.S. Sen. Olympia J. Snowe’s office announced Thursday.

Snowe stated that the funding would allow Maine schools and libraries to stay connected to the Internet and provide current technologies to students who otherwise might have had to go without.

The funds cover the cost of telecommunications, Internet access, and internal connections needed to bring information directly into classrooms and libraries.

The E-Rate program was authored by Snowe and Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., as part of the 1996 Telecommunications Act. It provides discounts of between 20 and 90 percent to schools and libraries, depending on their resources and needs, for the cost of education technology. It is funded by a federal tax on telephone customers’ out-of-state, long-distance calls.

“Since we established this program, the impact on Maine schools and communities has been immense,” Snowe said.

Maine has received more than $27 million since the program began in 1998.

“Students attending the schools, or utilizing libraries receiving funding today, will have greater access to research, a better understanding of technology, and will ultimately be better prepared for their future,” she said.