June 21, 2005

E-rate Overhaul

Looking to stem the reported waste, fraud, and abuse that has plagued the eRate--the $2.25 billion-a-year federal program that provides telecommunications discounts to eligible schools and libraries--the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on June 14 said it would seek public feedback regarding its management, administration, and oversight of the Universal Service Fund (USF), the federal coffer from which the eRate draws its money. FCC: News Release NPRM 

FCC officials are exploring ways to simplify the process by which schools apply for and receive eRate funds. Among the potential changes the commission, which currently consists of two Democrats and two Republican members, is considering: A new management structure that would enable schools to apply for multi-year funding commitments on telecommunications services, rather than reapplying for the same services year after year, as is now the case.

Source: eSchool News

Posted by wbia at 14:48:02 | Permanent Link | Comments (1) |
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1 - The biggest news in my opinion is the statement by the new FCC Chairman that he supports formulaic funding. He seems to want a block of funding given to each school or library based on size. My thoughts on that are at
http://e-rate.blogspot.com/2005_06_01_e-rate_archive.html (Comment this)

Written by: On-Tech at 2005/07/29 - 14:44:31
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