E-rate
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As information technology, specifically the internet, becomes more important to educational and daily life, it becomes more important for schools and libraries to be connected to help students and community members keep up. The E-rate program, also known as the Universal Service Program for Schools and Libraries, is an attempt to do this. In 1996, Congress mandated that this program be commissioned in order to provide information and communication technology, including internet, to schools and libraries at a discounted rate. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) was charged with implementing this program in 1997. The program is funded by the Universal Service Fund (USF).[1]
Overview
To receive funding from the USF under E-rate, schools must apply for specific services. If the school qualifies, they will receive a 20-90 percent discount, based on that school's financial need, on various eligible technologies. The FCC lists poverty as one of the requirements to receive funding under the E-rate program, but any other requirements are not clear.[1]
The FCC breaks down eligible services into five categories:
- Telecommunications
- Telecommunication services
- Internet access
- Internal connections
- Basic maintenance of internal connections[2]
Numbers 1 through 3 on the above list are typically considered "priority one" requests. These requests receive the large majority of funding, while 4 and 5 are given any remaining funds. Those services are considered "priority two" requests. Further priority is given to schools that report the highest poverty. One of the biggest issues of the E-rate program is that the available funding hardly ever meets the need reported by schools and libraries. For instance, in 2013, funds were requested in excess of $4.9 billion, while the cap for E-rate funding was set at $2.4 billion. Funding requests have exceeded the program's cap for every year, save one, since the program began.[1]
Evolving technology
Technology has taken huge leaps since E-rate's inception in 1996. Starting in 2010, the FCC began taking major steps towards modernizing E-rate. One of these steps was to ensure that funding from the program goes towards providing and upgrading modern technology. For instance, funds are more likely to be granted towards installing and maintaining high-speed broadband rather than the slower connections of the past. There has also been emphasis placed on giving schools access to Wi-Fi services. E-rate's reform process is ongoing; it must grow alongside technology if its overseers wish to adhere to the program's mission of providing quality technology to as many students and citizens as possible.[3]
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Federal Communications Commission, "Universal service program for schools and libraries (E-rate)," accessed September 12, 2014
- ↑ Federal Communications Commission, "E-rate," accessed September 12, 2014
- ↑ Federal Communications Commission, "Modernizing E-rate," accessed September 12, 2014
