Leveraging the E-Rate for Ed-Tech Success

Fueled by a growing need to prepare students for an increasingly global, 21st-century workforce, school leaders understand that access to school technology is more important than ever before. But as school budgets face cuts and re-evaluations in the midst of a struggling economy, many districts are concerned with their ability to pay for new technologies.

Luckily for schools, there is the e-Rate, the $2.25 billion-a-year federal program that gives discounts on telecommunications services to eligible schools and libraries. Yet the program’s complex rules and application process keep many schools from realizing the full benefits they’re entitled to under the e-Rate program.

We’re here to help. With the generous support of Embarq, the editors of eSchool News have compiled this collection of stories, as well as other useful information from around the web, to help your schools get the most out of the e-Rate.

--The Editors

 

2009 E-Rate Survival Guide

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    How to survive another e-Rate season
    If you're applying for the 2009 e-Rate, the $2.25 billion-a-year federal program that provides discounts on telecommunications services to eligible schools and libraries, you won't find many new additions to this year's program, e-Rate officials say. Instead, you'll find live training sessions, online videos, and other web-based resources designed to help you become more comfortable with the e-Rate application process. [ Read More ]

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    The e-Rate audit: What it takes to be prepared
    e-Rate audits are increasingly becoming a fact of life for e-Rate applicants. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has been allowed to spend more and more money to examine applicants to ensure they are compliant with e-Rate rules and regulations. The key to surviving an e-Rate audit is to always be prepared for one by maintaining proper documentation about your e-Rate activities. [ Read More ]

 

Special Reports

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    eSN Special Report: Rating the E-Rate
    With so much money at stake, and a byzantine application process, the e-Rate is the source of nightmares for many participants. Yet, despite the program's complexity, three out of four applicants say the e-Rate is meeting its goal of connecting schools and libraries to the internet, according to a comprehensive new survey—and many applicants say they couldn't do without it.

    Conducted by eSchool News and e-Rate consulting firm Funds For Learning LLC, the survey polled more than 700 e-Rate applicants on a wide range of questions about the program. Their responses provide the most complete picture yet of who the typical e-Rate manager is, how much time applicants invest in the program, their attitudes and opinions about various aspects of the e-Rate process, the key challenges that participants face in applying—and their ideas for how to improve the e-Rate . [ Read More ]

 

News Stories

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    FCC seeks comments on e-Rate eligibility
    The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is seeking public comment on a number of proposed changes to the list of eligible services for the e-Rate, the $2.25 billion-a-year program that provides discounts on telecommunications services to schools and libraries. The proposed changes would broaden the list of eligible services in some areas; comments were due Sept. 18. [ Read More ]

     

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    eSN Exclusive: e-Rate contract draws fire
    A five-year, $28 million contract awarded to Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) to manage the information systems used to administer the federal e-Rate has some e-Rate service providers crying foul. Because SAIC also is a service provider under the program, critics say the deal represents a huge conflict of interest and could give SAIC a competitive advantage in bidding for other E-rate-related business. [ Read More ]

     

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    Consensus: e-Rate a success—but still needed
    In recognition of the 10th anniversary of the e-Rate, two education groups released a report on Feb. 28 stating that the program has transformed U.S. schools and libraries into institutions of modern learning—but that its mission is not yet complete [ Read More ]

     

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    Feds level more e-Rate charges
    A Houston company and a former Columbia, South Carolina, school district official are among the latest to be involved in two separate instances of abusing the e-Rate, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. [ Read More ]

 

Other E-Rate Advice

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    Achieving e-Rate success through teamwork
    With competing priorities, it can be difficult for an e-Rate applicant to keep track of the ever-changing rules, guidance, forms, and deadlines that are a part of the program. When seeking assistance with the process, some e-Rate applicants express confusion over when it is appropriate to receive help from a service provider. In this primer, we will outline the major steps of an applicant's e-Rate process and detail when it is—and is not—appropriate for a service provider to be involved [ Read More ]

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    Ten e-Rate mistakes to avoid at all costs
    During a 2005 e-Rate training session in Washington, D.C., USAC's Catriona Ayer listed the 10 primary reasons e-Rate applications are denied. [ Read More ]

     

 

eSN-TV Videos

 

Additional resources 

Fall 2008 e-Rate training presentation materials
http://www.universalservice.org/sl/about/training-presentations/training-presentations-archive/training-2008/fall/default.aspx

SLD News Briefs
http://www.universalservice.org/sl/tools/news-briefs/Default.aspx

Helping Applicants to Succeed (HELP) Program
http://www.usac.org/sl/about/hats/hats-mission.aspx

Funds For Learning free e-Rate calendar
http://www.fundsforlearning.com/content/view/1161/89/