E-rate stakeholders continue to rally behind a call for an increased E-rate funding cap, which has only been slightly adjusted for inflation since the program began with $2.25 billion in Funding Year 1998.
Several groups met with or submitted letters to the FCC last week, calling for an increase to the E-rate fund in order for schools and libraries to meet the connectivity goals established in the E-rate Modernization Order.
Here are links to some of the recent requests calling for the E-rate fund to be adjusted to meet the needs of the program:
- American Library Association, et al.
- California Teachers Association
- Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), et al.
- Schools Health & Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition
The funding cap for Funding Year 2014 was set at $2.4 billion, but USAC received funding requests from E-rate applicants in excess of $2.6 billion for Telecommunication and Internet Access services and $2.2 billion for Internal Connections and Basic Maintenance.
Funds For Learning spoke with FCC staff on October 8th, detailing the need to increase the E-rate fund amount.