September 2008 — News/In Brief
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Technology + Online + Industry + Partnerships
Are Changes Coming to E-Rate?
The FCC puts out a call for feedback on proposed alterations to the federally funded telecommunications program.
MAJOR CHANGES may be coming to the federal
E-Rate program as soon as the 2009-2010 school
year, and educators and other stakeholders can
have a say in whether or not those changes occur.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) outlining a number of proposed revisions to the program, which provides qualifying schools and libraries with discounts on communication technologies and services. The notice allows the FCC to obtain public comments on proposed changes to the program, including whether certain services should be deemed eligible for E-Rate funding. Specifically, the FCC is seeking opinions from stakeholders on whether costs for the following items should be discounted through the E-Rate program: advanced firewalls; filtering, antivirus, and anti-spam software; text messaging; scheduling services and software; telephone broadcast messaging; and dark fiber. The organization is also seeking opinions on proposed changes to the definitions of voice over IP and basic telephone service, and on the interpretation of the Children's Internet Protection Act, which imposes certain requirements on institutions that receive E-Rate money.
These proposed changes could have a big impact schools that rely on E-Rate funding, and may affect budgeting as soon as 2009. "Most schools and districts are already budgeting to purchase things like internet content filtering, anti-spam, and antivirus software to make effective use of their internet access services," says Scott Weston, executive director of communications at Funds for Learning, which provides assistance to E-Rate service providers and applicants. "If a school receives E-Rate discounts for some of these items, it could free up funding at the district level that could be used for other projects."
Weston notes that a big increase in the scope of services supported by E-Rate should also mean a reevaluation of the annual base contribution from the Universal Service Fund, which he says has been at $2.25 billion since the beginning of the E-Rate program. Funds for Learning has posted a summary of the NPRM. To read the full document and for instructions on how to post or reply to comments on it, visit here. Comments are due Sept. 18; replies to comments are due Oct. 3.
