On July 5, 2012, the Federal Communications Commission released the draft Eligible Services List for FY2013. Comments to the FCC’s proposed changes will be due on August 6, and reply comments must be submitted by August 21. While the draft does not include significant changes to the eligibility of currently eligible products and services, the Priority 1 section of the document has been reorganized into “categories that reflect how school and library applicants plan for and seek technology and services.” The draft ESL may be viewed by clicking here, and the FCC Public Notice may be found here.
The Eligible Services List is updated by the FCC once per year. In each year, a draft ESL is published and E-rate stakeholders are given an opportunity to comment on the proposed changes. After the comment deadline, submitted comments are reviewed and the final ESL is published, which governs E-rate eligibility for products and services purchased with E-rate discounts within the applicable funding year.
