The Schools and Libraries Division announced that on April 19 it will release another $45.9 million worth of E-rate funding commitments for the 2004 funding year to 138 applicants. There was no change in the threshold for approved internal connections, which remains at 81 percent.
With this latest wave, number 17, the total amount committed for the 2004 funding year will top $1.9 billion. By this same time last year, the SLD had committed $2.5 billion for the 2003 funding year. So far the SLD has not set a threshold below which it is rejecting funding requests for internal connections for the 2004 funding year.
The SLD can be expected to provide its demand forecast for the 2005 funding year to the Federal Communications Commission within the next few weeks.