Bulletins

The lone Republican on the Federal Communications Commission has unveiled a proposal to make the E-rate program more transparent and less bureaucratic, while also requiring schools to chip in one dollar for every three dollars they receive through the program.

WASHINGTON, DC — President Obama today unveiled a bold, new initiative called ConnectED to connect 99 percent of America’s students to the internet through high-speed broadband and high-speed wireless within 5 years, calling on the FCC to modernize and leverage its existing E-Rate program to meet that goal. The President also directed the federal government to make better use of existing funds to get Internet connectivity and educational technology into classrooms, and into the hands of teachers trained on its advantages. And he called on businesses, states, districts, schools and communities to support this vision. This ambitious initiative does not require Congressional action.

Driven by new digital technologies, the future of learning is increasingly interactive, individualized, and full of real-world experiences and information. Unfortunately,the average school has about the same connectivity as the average American home, but serves 200 times as many users, and fewer than 20 percent of educators say their school’s internet connection meets their teaching needs. And our teachers do not get enough training and support to integrate technology in their classroom and lessons, despite the fundamental and increasing importance of those skills.

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — President Obama visited an innovative middle school in central North Carolina on Thursday to demonstrate the Internet-based education programs that he is proposing to make available nationwide.

Pursuant to section 54.709(a)(3) of the Commission’s rules, on May 2, 2013, the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) submitted projections of demand and administrative expenses for the federal universal service fund for the third quarter of 2013. According to USAC's projections, $450 million in unused funds from previous funding years is available to carry forward to increase disbursements to schools and libraries via the E-rate program, more formally known as the schools and libraries universal service program.3 Section 54.507(a)(3) of the Commission’s rules states that "[a]ll funds collected that are unused shall be carried forward into subsequent funding years for use in the [Erate program] in accordance with the public interest and notwithstanding the annual cap."

The purpose of this letter is to notify the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) that the Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) approves the Schools and Libraries Funding Year (FY) 2013 Program Integrity Assurance (PTA) FCC Form 471 Review Procedures, dated November 13, 2012, subject to the edits we have previously discussed with your staff.

Federal Universal Service Support Mechanisms Fund Size Projections for Third Quarter 2013.

On September 13, 2012, and March 12, 2013, the Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) issued public notices soliciting nominations to fill seats on the Board of Directors of the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC). The Bureau sought nominations for thirteen seats with expired terms or vacancies. The Commission received specific nominations for eleven of the thirteen seats on the Board, as well as two general nominations, as listed in the attached Appendix.

On April 2, 2013, the Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) released a public notice regarding a proposal to clarify the schools and libraries universal service support program (informally known as the E-rate program) requirements for bundling devices, equipment and services that are ineligible for E-rate support with E-rate eligible services and products.

Broadband Internet access could soon be added to an FCC program that subsidizes telephone services for low-income consumers. Three members of Congress have introduced the Broadband Adoption Act of 2013, which would add broadband access as an option to Lifeline, an FCC program started in 1985 to help people pay for telephones so they could connect to jobs, family, and emergency services.

USAC's estimate of demand for Schools and Libraries Universal Service Support Mechanism discounts for Funding Year (FY) 2013 (July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014) is $4.986 billion. This estimate is based on total funds requested in 45,189 FCC Form 471 applications received or postmarked on or before March 14, 2013, the close of the FCC Form 471 filing window. A table showing demand by service type and discount band is attached to this letter.

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski Appoints Director of Digital Learning to Lead FCC Education Technology Initiatives.

Julius Genachowski, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, will join the Aspen Institute as a senior fellow, the Washington think tank announced Monday.

Pursuant to section 54.703(c) of the Commission’s rules, the Wireline Competition Bureau(Bureau) seeks nominations for the following board member positions on the Board of Directors of the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC). The terms expired on December 31, 2012.

WASHINGTON — The $2.3 billion federal E-Rate program, which subsidizes basic Internet connections for schools and libraries, should be overhauled and expanded to provide those community institutions with new,lightning-fast connections to the Web, the chairman of a Senate committee that oversees the F.C.C. said Tuesday.

Pursuant to section 54.507(a) of the Commission's rules, the Wireline Competition Bureau announces that the E-rate program funding cap for funding year 2013 is $2,380,314,485. Section 54.507(a)(1) of the Commission's rules requires an adjustment of the E-rate program’s annual cap based on the gross domestic product chain - type price index (GPD - CPI) measure of inflation. The new cap represents a 1.8% inflation - adjusted increase from funding year 2012's cap of $2,338,786,577. The Commission began indexing the annual funding cap to inflation in 2010 to allow the E-rate program to keep pace with the changing telecommunications needs of schools and libraries.

Government regulators see 'non-compliance' among some Jewish schools but no fraud charges.

Service providers haul in millions in tech funds for schools and libraries, but some don't even have websites.

How does a community that rails against the Web pull in $30 million in one year for its schools from the E-rate program?

Washington, D.C. – Today the FCC announced that savings from its comprehensive reform of Lifeline are on track to reach at least an additional $400 million in 2013, adding to the more than $214 million saved in 2012 by cutting waste, fraud, and abuse.