Despite a brighter spotlight on digital equity, gaps still remain, including the troubling and persistent homework gap--but a newly-relaunched digital equity toolkit aims to highlight the important work…
In Evan Marwell’s estimation, anywhere from 10 to 15 percent of the nation’s K-12 school districts have self-provisioned their own fiber networks. In most cases, this CEO of…
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler is proposing clear, sustainable, enforceable rules to preserve and protect the open Internet as a place for innovation and free expression. According to an…
Starting next year, eRate applicants will be able to see how much other schools are paying for similar kinds of services, under one of many changes designed to…
The FCC’s new eRate rules include important changes in how school districts must calculate their discount percentage. Some districts stand to benefit from these changes, while others could…
Beginning with the 2015 funding year, eMail, voice mail, and website hosting no longer will be eligible for eRate support. What will this change mean for schools?
If the FCC has its way, the eRate no longer will support voice services within the next five years, including plain old telephone service, toll-free service, and even…
The FCC’s extensive eRate overhaul includes a new type of eligible service, managed Wi-Fi, which could lead to more outsourced networks in K-12 schools.
The FCC’s new eRate rules set aside $5 billion over the next five years for the equipment needed to extend broadband access within schools and libraries, including wireless…
In a split decision along party lines, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has voted to move ahead with a plan to modernize the eRate by increasing the amount…
In what could be one of the most heartening examples of putting money where a mouth is, FCC chairman, Tom Wheeler, just announced that the E-Rate will change…
A group of 50 executives, innovators, and entrepreneurs joined the nonprofit organization EducationSuperHighway on Jan. 30 to urge the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to modernize the federal eRate…
During my career at four mid-sized school districts over the last 18 years, finding multiple ways to fund ever-changing technology needs was critical to my success, according to…
In the midst of a federal government shutdown, strained school budgets, and calls for education reform are potentially wide-reaching changes to the eRate—the federal $2.25-billion-a-year program that makes…
With all the buzz in the news about education technology, one would think that teachers were integrating cutting-edge teaching tools into their lesson plans faster than edtech startups…
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…
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…
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,…
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,…
The Universal Service Administrative Co., which runs the federal eRate program, has announced the opening and closing dates of the eRate filing window for Funding Year 2012.
As schools get ready to apply for federal eRate discounts for the 2012 funding year, applicants and service providers will notice some new changes to the nearly $2.3…
In its Sixth Report and Order, issued in September 2010, the FCC codified regulations regarding gifts from eRate service providers to align with the gift rules applicable to…
With a new eRate application season about to dawn for schools and libraries, here are five tips that can help ensure success in getting your fair share of…
Now that even the staid Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has loosened its tight rein on social media networks, it’s time for more educators to use these tools to…
Changes to the government's Universal Service programs will result in new broadband options for schools—but they'll also create new compliance challenges as the web of federal programs supporting…
Several hundred more e-Rate applicants will get funding for the wiring, routers, switches, servers, and other equipment needed to bring high-speed internet access into classrooms, thanks to a…
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has reached a civil settlement with Hewlett-Packard Co. for alleged e-Rate fraud, following an extensive investigation by the DOJ and the Federal…
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…
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…
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…
The former co-owners of a New Jersey computer services provider each have been sentenced to 27 months in prison on charges of conspiracy to defraud the federal e-Rate…