Administrators of the e-Rate program are encouraging e-Rate coordinators from schools and libraries across the country to get the basics right as they apply for funds for the 2008-09 cycle, which opened at noon on Nov. 7, 2007 and will close at 11:59 p.m. EST on Feb. 7, 2008. When common mistakes are avoided and the basics of an application are strong, they say, the "application generally goes right."

The following article, authored by officials at the e-Rate compliance specialists company Funds For Learning LLC, outlines the major steps of an applicant's e-Rate process and details when it is--and is not--appropriate for a service provider to be involved.

This comprehensive two-page guide from the eSchool News print newspaper will help you get through the e-Rate process with minimal pain--and a maximum return on your time invested.

Schools and libraries receiving federal e-Rate funding would have to submit proof that they have implemented internet safety education programs along with their e-Rate applications, according to a new Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) issued by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Nov. 5. Key words: e-Rate, internet safety, internet safety education, Web Wise Kids, educational technology, FCC, internet monitoring, online safety

When the filing window opens later this fall, applicants will find no major changes to next year's e-Rate, the $2.25 billion-a-year federal program that provides discounts on telecommunications services to eligible schools and libraries. What they will find instead is a program that is more dedicated to helping e-Rate newcomers--as many as half of all applicants are in their first year of experience with the program--understand how to apply for their share of funding assistance quickly and efficiently. Key words: e-Rate, educational technology, technology funding, school technology, erate, technology grants

The e-Rate can play a significant role in the national broadband plan being developed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), panelists said during an Aug. 20 hearing--but for this to happen, commissioners must raise the program's funding cap. Key words: FCC, erate, national broadband, educational technology, erate funding

Opinions about the management of the federal e-Rate program have improved over the last year, a new survey suggests. But applicants continue to be frustrated by audits, and they'd like to see more transparency in the program. Key words: e-Rate, e-Rate audit, Funds For Learning, 2009 e-Rate survey, USAC, education, technology

About $5 billion of the estimated $19.5 billion in eRate funds committed to schools and libraries from 1998 to 2006 were never used, according to a recent report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Key words: e-Rate, e-Rate funding, education, technology, federal education funding