FCC Chairman Wheeler responded to a Congressional inquiry related to the Sweetwater City School Consortium in Tennessee. The consortium, which represents 45 school districts, was denied E-rate funds totaling nearly $60 million. The denials involve alleged competitive bidding violations related to funding years 2012 through 2015. In his letter to Representative Fleischmann, Mr. Wheeler stated that the FCC is still considering the issues at hand and that additional time would be required before a decision is issued.
The dispute directly involves two service providers. Education Networks of America (ENA) believes a fair and open competitive bid occurred. AT&T, on the other hand, claims that their bid response should have been selected. Several TN Members of Congress recently sent letters to the FCC asking for an immediate resolution to the matter. FCC Chairman Wheeler responded that resolving “….Sweetwater’s appeal in a timely fashion is a high priority for the Commission.”
- FCC Chairman Wheeler’s Congressional Response Letter can be viewed here
- ENA Summary FCC Response, dated August 8, 2016 can be viewed here
- AT&T Summary FCC Response dated June 23, 2016 can be viewed here.
UPDATE: On August 25, 2016, the Sweetwater Consortium provided the FCC with a response to supplemental questions regarding the appeal.
