How to improve the eRate
As the FCC mulls changes to the nation’s school wiring program, here’s a common-sense vision for what we’d like to see.
E-Rate
Obama unveils ConnectED initiative to boost digital learning
President Obama today unveiled ConnectED, a new initiative intended to connect 99 percent of America’s students to the internet through high-speed broadband and high-speed wireless within five years.…
Obama to ask for increased eRate aid
President Barack Obama wants to see the nation's classrooms transformed into digital learning centers and he is ready to ask federal regulators to use billions of dollars to…
2013 eRate filing window announced
Schools and libraries can begin requesting their share of $2.3 billion in telecommunications discounts through the federal eRate program on Dec. 12, and they'll have until March 14…
Your annual ‘eRate Survival Guide’
Over the years, the eRate has undergone many rule changes to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse—and the application process can be confusing. To help you navigate this process…
Dispelling 10 common eRate myths
Each fall, the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC)—the agency that administers the $2.3 billion-a-year eRate—holds a number of training sessions designed to help applicants wade through the rules…
How applicants would change the eRate, if they could
Sensing that demand for eRate funding would continue to outpace available funding nearly 2 to 1, last spring Funds For Learning set out to gather the perceptions, predictions,…
New online safety curriculum helps schools document CIPA compliance
Starting this month, schools receiving federal e-Rate funding must have updated internet safety policies that show how they will educate minors about appropriate online behavior. Now, a new…
After 15 years, govt. tells phone companies to follow low-price rule for schools
After 15 years of neglect, federal regulators are finally planning to tell phone companies selling services to schools and libraries how to comply with a rule requiring them…
AT&T, feds neglect low-price mandate designed to help schools
At the dawn of the internet era, Congress set out to avert a digital divide between rich and poor students. In a landmark bill, lawmakers required the nation’s…
Petition calls for more eRate funding
The federal eRate program, which helps schools and libraries connect to the internet, should receive more funding so that more schools and libraries can serve not only students,…
Survey: Schools need faster broadband speeds
More than half of school and library respondents in a recent Federal Communications Commission (FCC) e-Rate survey say they provide some form of wireless internet access for school…
Your guide to securing 2011 e-Rate dollars
Over the years, the federal e-Rate has undergone minor tweaks to prevent waste and bring more value to applicants. This year, however, marks the biggest set of changes…
What you should know about the 2011 e-Rate program
To fully leverage 2011 e-Rate funding in boosting broadband access, it’s important to understand the latest changes to the program (and there are many)—but don’t overlook the things…
e-Rate administrator: New rules should help fund more applicants
The head of the agency that administers the federal e-Rate program had strong words of support for new FCC rules that he said would further streamline the program…
e-Rate gets facelift with wireless pilot, community access
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Sept. 23 voted to upgrade and modernize the federal $2.25 billion-a-year e-Rate program by allowing schools to make e-Rate funded, internet-enabled computers…
Panelists: Digital tools expand learning opportunities
The nation's ed-tech director called on schools to replace textbooks with mobile learning devices, and the head of the FCC said his agency would be voting this week…
Internet service upgrade coming to poor and rural schools
The Federal Communications Commission is expected on Sept. 23 to approve an overhaul of the $2.25 billion eRate program, which subsidizes internet service for schools and public libraries,…
Massachusetts school district sues e-Rate consulting firm
The Nashoba Regional School District in Bolton, Mass., has filed a federal lawsuit claiming "breach of contract" and alleging a New York technology company misrepresented the quality of…
Memo details costly perks and gifts for HISD employees
A recently released memo from the Houston Independent School District's outside law firm details for the first time the gift-giving allegations that landed the district in trouble with…
HISD hopes $8K-a-year program can save millions in e-Rate funding
The Houston Independent School District will implement monitoring software to ensure that district employees abide by federal e-Rate compliance rules, after the district settled a lawsuit with the…
FCC aims to simplify e-Rate, expand funding
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has proposed new e-Rate rules designed to simplify the program and bring discounts on networking services to more schools and libraries.
Houston ISD strikes deal with feds on e-Rate investigation
Houston school board members no longer can accept unlimited contributions from technology vendors after federal regulators alleged the district violated the competitive bidding and gift-giving rules for the…
Public access to school computers raises questions
A move that will let schools use federal e-Rate funds to help their stakeholders get online by opening up their computer labs to the community after school hours…
National Broadband Plan focuses on e-Rate, online learning
More students should have access to online learning, and the federal e-Rate program should be more widely deployed and should embrace and encourage innovation, according to the National…
FCC announces Children’s Agenda for broadband
Digital access, literacy, citizenship, and safety are the four key areas of focus in the Federal Communications Commission's plan to bring broadband access to all children.
Education goals in National Broadband Plan revealed
Upgrading the federal e-Rate program to provide more connectivity to schools and libraries, removing the barriers to online learning so that more students can take advantage, and unlocking…