Funds for Learning and the E-rate Reform Coalition Meet with FCC Staff

Funds for Learning and the E-rate Reform Coalition met with Wireline Competition Bureau staff on February 25, 2014, to discuss the future of the E-rate program. Coalition members stated their opinion that changes to the eligible services list and other additional proposed regulatory complexities are unlikely to enhance the long term sustainability of the program. Funds for Learning and the E-rate Reform Coalition asserted that the current program’s funding caps, based on regulatory classifications of technology, do not serve schools and libraries effectively. Members of the coalition advocated for a new funding cap system that is more closely tied to E-rate applicants’ needs and provides them with the increased flexibility and certainty of funding they need in order to plan for the future.