E-Rate

Guest Author: Dan Leister, E-rate Manager Cisco U.S. Public Sector   On December 19, 2019, the FCC released an Order which provides applicants with the multipliers which should be used to calculate Category Two budgets for FY2020.  The multipliers include an adjustment for inflation as well as…

Guest Author: Dan Leister, E-rate Manager Cisco U.S. Public Sector   On December 20th of last year, USAC announced the annual Form 471 filing window dates for E-rate Funding Year 2020 applications. This window opened January 15, 2020 and will close March 25, 2020, running for 70 days. But as y…

The E-rate filing window for funding year 2019 closed on March 27, with more than 21,000 schools, libraries, and consortiums from across the country submitting funding requests. “The more than 69,000 requests filed represent both Category One and Category Two, which account for nearly $2 billion and…

Since it began in 1996, E-rate has helped more than 100,000 schools and libraries connect to the Internet. Nearly $4 billion is available in the program for Funding Year 2019, though the number of schools that apply for their share of E-rate funding is on the decline; applications have decreased by…

I’ve long believed that the ancient Romans had it wrong when they assigned January 1 as the start of a new year. While I admit that I enjoy the extended holiday that takes place for many at year-end; for me, the “new year” really begins right about now, in the waning days of a New England summer and…

Setting up a 1:1 iPad initiative for 20,000 students In a rural public school district in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, Scott Miller, Director of Technology, had a vision: to set up a 1:1 iPad initiative for his students, flip his district’s classrooms, and ensure that every child had the same access to…

A comprehensive funding strategy is one of the most important elements of implementing a successful digital learning plan. E-rate will only fund certain technologies, and, as a discount program, it requires that schools and libraries provide matching funds for projects. Successful schools and librar…

Just a few short months ago, students arrived at school with new pencils or backpacks or shoes, and were greeted by smiling teachers and principals, shiny desks and lockers—and, in many cases, exciting new technology that promises to transform the way teachers teach and students learn. For many scho…

E-rate Application Filing Window Opens January 11 The E-rate FCC Form 471 application filing window has been announced! Schools have from January 11 until March 22, 2018, to submit their FCC Form 471 applications. Here’s what you need to know: E-rate Productivity Center (EPC) profiles will lock Jan…