Bulletins

On April 15, after a multi-year investigation arising from events in 2004-2008, the Chief of the Telecommunications Access Policy Division (TAPD) of the FCC's Wireline Competition Bureau issued an Order denying appeals by an E-rate service provider and four Massachusetts school districts of a USAC decision that found numerous flagrant violations of the E-rate rules in the provider's dealings with the schools. These included violations of the program's competitive bidding and non-discount share rules. The Order found that the provider, Achieve Telecom Network, "devised a scheme to pass through, control, and direct the disbursement of funds... to cover the Schools' non-discount share of the costs of Achieve's services, in violation of the E-rate program rules," and that "as a result of this scheme, Achieve essentially provided 'free services' to the Schools."

Since the dawn of the internet, there's been much talk about the digital divide – the gap between those with access to the internet and those without. But what about the "homework gap"?

Remarks of Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel Federal Communications Commission Texas Computer Education Association Austin, Texas February 4, 2015.

PRESIDENT OBAMA's domestic agenda, which he announced in his State of the Union address this month, has a lot to like: health care, maternity leave, affordable college. But there was one thing he got wrong. As part of his promise to educate American children for an increasingly competitive world, he vowed to "protect a free and open Internet" and "extend its reach to every classroom and every community."

Washington, D.C. – Broadband deployment in the United States – especially in rural areas – is failing to keep pace with today’s advanced, high-quality voice, data, graphics and video offerings, according to the 2015 Broadband Progress Report adopted today by the Federal Communications Commission.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted the E-rate Modernization Order on July 11, 2014. The Order takes major steps to modernize and streamline the E-rate program and focuses on expanding funding for Wi-Fi networks in eligible elementary and secondary schools and libraries across America. In the Second Modernization Order, adopted on Dec. 11, 2014, the FCC took significant additional steps to ensure that the nation’s schools and libraries have access to robust high-speed broadband connections. In an accompanying Order on Reconsideration, the FCC modified its urban/rural definition, effective in funding year 2015, so that an individual school and library will be designated as "urban" if located in an "Urbanized Area" or "Urban Cluster" with a population of 25,000 or more as determined by the U.S. Census Bureau. Any school or library not designated "urban" will be designated as "rural" and would be eligible to receive an additional discount. The Order retains the current rule that any school district or library system must have a majority of schools or libraries in a rural area that meets the new urban/rural definition to qualify for the additional rural discount.

The FCC Form 471 application filing window for Funding Year 2015 will open at noon EST on Wednesday, January 14, 2015 and will close at 11:59 pm EDT on Thursday, March 26, 2015. The filing window will be open for 72 days.

Schools and Libraries Universal Service Support Mechanism - Reserve Funding.

Next month, the Federal Communications Commission will consider a proposal from its chairman, Tom Wheeler, that would raise taxes on phone lines by a modest 16 cents a month to make sure that every public school and library has reliable and fast Internet connections. The commissioners should vote yes.

This memorandum notifies State agencies and local program operators of recently updated rules issued by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regarding the calculation of discount rates under the E-Rate program for schools electing the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP).

WASHINGTON — With a goal of fiber-optic lines reaching to every school and a Wi-Fi connection in every classroom, Tom Wheeler, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, is expected on Monday to propose a 62 percent increase in the amount of money the agency spends annually to wire schools and libraries with high-speed Internet connections.

In this Order, the Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) releases the eligible services list(ESL) for funding year 2015 for the schools and libraries universal service support program (more commonly referred to as the E-rate program) and authorizes the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) to open the annual application filing window no earlier than December 29, 2014. In this Order, we adopt the proposals made in the ESL Public Notice,with modifications as described herein. In so doing we streamline the structure of the ESL to provide guidance on the services the Commission found to be eligible for E-rate support in the recent E-rate Modernization Order.

Washington, DC (October 16, 2014) – New results from CoSN's (Consortium for School Networking's) 2nd Annual E-rate and Infrastructure Survey reveal troubling gaps in U.S. school districts broadband and technology infrastructure. The report, released today, identifies affordability and adequate funding as the most significant barriers to delivering sufficient Internet connectivity and transforming the learning environment in schools. This chief hurdle mirrors the major barrier identified in the 2013 survey. Other challenges identified include lack of capacity to ensure the network reliability needed for online assessments and instruction and grossly inadequate networks in the nation’s rural school districts.

State School Connectivity Profiles September 19, 2014 WC Docket No. 13-184

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) is pleased to announce the appointment of Chris Henderson as Chief Executive Officer. Henderson will assume his new position effective September 3, 2014.

• E-Rate Modernization Staff Report
• E-Rate Maps of Fiber Connectivity to Schools and Libraries

Tenth Broadband Progress Notice of Inquiry. By the Commission: Chairman Wheeler issuing a statement; and Commissioners Pai and O’Rielly approving in part, concurring in part and issuing separate statements.