Comment Period for FCC E-rate Inquiry
In January, the FCC released a Notice of Proposed Rule Making ("NPRM") requesting comments on a number of possible changes to the E-rate program including the application process, discount payment and equipment transferability issues, appeals, enforcement tools, and treatment of unused funds. As discussed in our E-rate News for the Week of February 18, 2002, the deadline for submitting initial comments in this proceeding was April 5, 2002.
Overall, we expect that over 100 comments will have been submitted by individuals, applicants, vendors, or state education/public service departments. The comments may range from simple one-page statements on a single issue to much larger filings covering a broad range of E-rate topics. Copies of these comments are available online. To find the list of comments, use the Search for Filed Comments function on the FCC Web site, and enter the docket number "02-6" in the upper left-hand corner of the search box.
Comments of the CCSSO and of E-Rate Central, respectively, can be found at:
CCSSO Comments
E-Rate Central Comments
Reply comments on this NPRM are due by May 6. The reply period is designed to allow any interested party to comment on any of the initial comments discussed above. Because of the broad range of initial comments that were filed in this inquiry, the reply comment mechanism will also provide a forum for advancing the views of any party that failed to submit earlier comments.