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E-Rate Program Office
Frequently Asked Questions
How do Arizona Schools and Libraries Benefit?
“I
would like to acknowledge how much receiving E-rate monies has meant to
our library,” says Barbara Blackburn, library Director, Duncan Public
Library. “When our budget was totally cut, it meant that we were
able to continue to provide internet service for our patrons. We
have many low income families in our community who can't afford
internet access, and this provides them with that opportunity.
Another important service this provides is for the many senior citizens
who use our facilities to check their e-mail, banking, and other
necessary contacts while traveling. The funding we receive helps
us continue these services, and we appreciate it.”
E-Rate
discounts help maintain connectivity and improve access for libraries
and schools. There is a growing need for internet access and
connectivity in Arizona’s schools and libraries. Whether it is
for access to information databases, multi-media teaching tools, video
conferencing, applying for jobs, accessing mails, doing reports, taking
on-line classes or webinars, high speed broadband connectivity has
become a necessity and not a luxury. With the escalating number of
unemployed, more people are using the free public access computing in
libraries. Demand for the E-Rate remains strong as the need for
internet based services grows rapidly. Disparities between high
and low-poverty districts have been dramatically reduced because of
E-rate reimbursements.
But
there are still instructional rooms and libraries that have low
connectivity because they cannot afford the cost of internet
connectivity and are not applying for E-rate to get a reimbursement.
GITA encourages you to apply for E-rate reimbursements to help pay for
higher bandwidths and much needed levels of connectivity.
Our
goal is to have all Arizona students, educators, and library patrons
connected with high-speed broadband connectivity to fully participate
and learn in an information-dominated economy and world.
How much Money can Arizona Schools and Libraries Receive?
E-Rate
reimburses schools and libraries for the eligible services and the
discounts are based on the level of poverty and the urban/rural status
of the population served. Reimbursements range from 20% to 90% of
the costs of eligible services. The discount rate is determined with
information based on the School Lunch Program http://www.ade.state.az.us/health-safety/cnp/frpercentages/
together with a discount matrix located at
http://www.sl.universalservice.org/reference/dmatrix.asp. Schools
with higher discount rates are seen as the schools in greater need.
Even
applicants with less than a 1% poverty level can get back 25% of their
e-rate reimbursements, if they are designated rural and 20% if they are
urban.
“The
$438,000 E-Rate funding by far the largest we have ever requested (and
more than the library's entire budget)”, says Victoria Yarbrough, City
Librarian, Douglas Public Library. “We will use these funds to
completely restructure the library's network, including servers,
cabling, routers, and much more. We will finally be able to push
our library's services into the 21st century!”
“The
$50,000 in E-Rate reimbursements are allowing us to replace old
cabling, and outdated and sometimes unreliable internal connection
equipment so that we can continue to provide the only Internet Access
that many of our patrons have,” says former Library Director of Parker
Public Library. “Our E-Rate funding is enabling us to modernize and
replace faulty equipment at just the time when our local government can
least afford it.”
Applicants
must be able to pay for their end-user equipment (e.g., computers,
telephones, etc.), software, professional development, and the other
elements that are necessary to utilize the connectivity funded by the
E-rate Program.
How are the E-rate funds committed?
There are two priorities in the E-rate Program
• Telecommunications services and Internet access are considered Priority 1
• Internal connections and the maintenance of their internal connection are considered Priority 2.
Priority
1 applications can be made each year and cover the monthly
telecommunications and internet access for schools and libraries.
Priority
2 applications can be made only twice during a five year period and
covers connectivity equipments such as routers, hubs, switches and
basic maintenance for those internal connections. Every year this list
of eligible services gets updated. See http://www.usac.org/sl/tools/eligible-services-list.aspx.
There
is a cap on the availability of funds under the program. Priority
1 gets funded first, and after all Priority 1 fund requests are
exhausted, then Priority 2 applications begin to receive funding based
on the discount rate until all the funds are exhausted. In fiscal
year 2009 the final threshold for Priority 2 funding was 77% and above.
What are the steps involved in the application process?
Application process is year long.
- Write the technology plan.*
- File Form 470 (competitive bidding)
- Calculate discounts/File Funding requests / Form 471
- Answer Program Integrity Assurance (PIA) review
- Receive funding commitments after application review
- File Form 486 (start of services)
- Invoice USAC / Form 472 or Form 474
* (There is a new E-Rate rule that no longer requires a technology plan for Priority 1 reimbursements only.)
For details visit: http://www.universalservice.org/sl/applicants/
A process flow chart on E-Rate is available from USAC at: http://www.usac.org/_res/documents/sl/pdf/application-process-flow-chart.pdf
Should I Consider Using an E-Rate Consultant?
Many
schools and libraries follow the procedures and apply on their own for
their E-rate reimbursements. The Arizona Department of Education
and the Arizona State Library have highly trained and experienced staff
who train, assist and offer consulting help and advice to Arizona
applicants. The Arizona State library E-Rate website is www.lib.az.us/erate, and the Arizona Dept of Education website is http://www.ade.state.az.us/erate/. Both websites have useful information pertinent to Arizona applicants.
Some
schools and libraries use professional E-Rate consultants to assist
their staff because of the complexity of the process. Research
shows that schools and libraries that use professional E-Rate
consultants have a significantly higher success rate than those who do
not. GITA encourages schools and libraries to consider using
professional E-Rate assistance when appropriate, and when the total
potential amount of reimbursement dollars is large enough to justify
the cost.
Should I create or join a consortium?
Eligible schools, school districts and libraries may apply individually or as part of a consortium.
While
consortiums may help get you better pricing and may help justify the
cost of using a professional E-rate consultant for smaller applicants,
the down-side is that the average of the discount rate is applied to
all entities in the application.
How will Technology Planning help improve Education or Library Services?
The
first step for many schools, school districts, and libraries that
intend to apply for E-Rate Priority 2 Program discounts is to prepare a
technology plan. This plan sets out how technology will be used
to achieve specific curriculum reforms or library service
improvements. It guides planning and investment - both for E-Rate
funds and for the other resources needed to take advantage of
technology. However, applicants who seek discounts only for
Telecommunications Services and/or Internet Access Priority 1 discounts
no longer need to prepare technology plans.
A technology plan designed to improve education or library services must contain the following components:
- Clear goals and a realistic strategy for using telecommunications and information technology.
- A professional development strategy to ensure that staff know how to use these new technologies.
- An assessment of the telecommunication services, hardware, software, and other services needed.
- An evaluation process that enables the school or library to monitor progress toward the specified goals.
Take a look at http://www.usac.org/sl/applicants/step02/ for how you can develop your technology plan.
Who can approve my Tech Plan?
Before
discounted services begin, (July 1 each year) an SLD-certified
technology plan approver must approve their technology plans.
Schools
need to get their technology plans approved by Brenda Wright of the
Arizona Department of Education. Her contact information
is: Brenda.Wright@azed.gov
Libraries need to get their technology plans approved by Malavika Muralidharan. Her contact information is: mala@lib.az.us
Be
sure to check the Arizona Department Education and Arizona State
Library websites for tips on writing the Technology plans. These
websites are listed below. The Technology plan approvers will be
delighted to help you with your planning questions.
What is the E-rate application deadline?
Why is Broadband Important to Education and Libraries?
In
many parts of the county, the Internet is rapidly expanding its
capacity and bandwidth. The programming available on the Internet
for students and individuals using library services is rapidly
expanding, as well.
Susan
Evan, Director of Yuma Public Library says, “At the Main library the
usage has increased 10 times; at Foothills, 19 times; at San Luis, 28
times; at Somerton, 18 times; at Wellton, 17 times.
There is an increased need for higher bandwidth Internet because our
patrons simultaneously access online databases, Facebook, streamed
classes and more.”
Online
eLearning is growing significantly. Some schools in Arizona have
been approved for eLearning and compete with other school districts for
students. Internet speeds and broadband capacity are becoming
increasingly important as the Internet’s use increases, and more and
more streaming videos and other high content information is being
carried over broadband. It is predicted by one scholar that by
2019 half of all high school classes will be online. There is
certainly a growing trend towards eLearning.
Are There Any Innovative Uses of Broadband?
One
school district in Arizona has even connected to the National
LambdaRail (NLR), a super high speed capacity private broadband system
founded and used by universities such as Harvard and MIT. Arizona
State University and the University of Arizona are members of the NLR
which goes through Arizona on its way out to California.
This Arizona school district was the first K-12 in the world to connect to the NLR. http://www.nlr.net/ They
are using it to provide content to their students from Harvard, Duke,
and other universities in the United States and in Europe and China.
In
September, 2010 this school district connected with Harvard using an
I-2 connection, an internet system similar to the NLR. Students
enjoyed a math probability lesson from a Harvard professor. The
president of Harvard and Boston’s mayor were in attendance.
Students exchanged information and then created the first known
recorded telemarketing “wave.” The schools plan to
reconnect. http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/09/2600-miles-and-one-screen-apart/
E-Rate
may be able to assist with some of the costs associated with
connections such as this. However, careful tech planning and
additional information are needed for schools and libraries to
incorporate such technology. This Arizona K-12 school district
connects to the National LambdaRail through Arizona State University,
which is a member of the NLR. Separately, ASU provides
online programming and assistance to teachers through its IDEAL
program. https://www.ideal.azed.gov/p/
How are Broadband Grants Improving Broadband for Schools and Libraries?
The
federal government appropriated $7.2 billion under the ARRA funds to
finance broadband infrastructure, community centers, including
libraries, and promote the use of broadband. Arizona entities
received several grants from this program, including two grants
benefiting the state’s libraries, several grants assisting Native
American communities, a grant providing middle mile broadband
throughout large parts of Arizona including rural areas, and other
important grants. These federal broadband grants benefitting
Arizona are listed at: http://www.azgita.gov/telecom/
What is the Broadband Map?
The
federal government also financed broadband mapping grants to the
governments of each of the states, and Arizona is creating its own
broadband map with information to consumers and the public on the
availability and speeds of broadband in their area. This map will
be available by March of 2011 and updated twice a year over the next
four years according to the federal grant requirements. GITA has
been designated by the Governor as the grant manager for this mapping
project. This grant also includes planning dollars to assist
communities in broadband planning, and this effort will incorporate
school and library needs as part of its planning efforts.
E-Rate resources and contact information:
GITA contacts:
Galen Updike
Telecommunications Development Manager
602-364-4794 O
gupdike@azgita.gov
Brad Zerbe
Director of Communications
602-315-3815 O
bzerbe@azgita.gov
Michael Golden
Director of Broadband Planning
928-301-0136 O
mgolden@azgita.gov
Arizona Department of Education (ADE) contact:
Brenda Wright
Education Program Specialist
Arizona E-Rate Coordinator
(602) 542-5233
Brenda.Wright@azed.gov
ADE E-Rate Website: http://www.ade.state.az.us/erate/
Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records (ASLAPR) contact:
Malavika Muralidharan
Virtual Projects and E-rate Manager
(602) 926-3601
mala@lib.az.us
ASLAPR E-Rate Website: http://www.lib.az.us/erate/
Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC)
Administrator of the E-Rate Fund for the FCC http://www.usac.org/sl
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E-Rate Home Page
Galen Updike
Telecommunications Developement
Manager
602-364-4794
Brad Zerbe
Director of Communications
(602) 315-3815
Michael Golden
Director of Broadband Planning
(9128) 301-0136
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