Anticipate Future Digital Demands to Set E-rate Program Funding Policy, Stakeholders Say
Groups representing schools and libraries want the FCC to future-proof E-rate funding that supports indoor connections for schools and libraries, they said in comments posted to docket 13-184 through Wednesday on the program's category 2 modernization and eligible services list.…
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Per-pupil funding for E-rate category 2 should be increased from $125 to $250 or more, the Education and Libraries Networks Coalition said: "As schools, school districts and libraries integrate more digital resources, it will only continue to drive increased demand for bandwidth and internal connections." It wants the USF program to establish a fixed five-year budget cycle for category 2 spending to replace the current rolling budget focused on individual applicants. It supports a transition to school-district-wide and library-system-wide budgets but said private and independent schools should be able to apply on their own. Funds for Learning said schools and libraries should be able to self-determine what data infrastructure components they need, and none should be determined ineligible. It also said in separate comments it wants to eliminate E-rate category 2 subcategories, which can be confusing to program participants. The American Library Association said it supports making funding eligible for content filtering and more robust network security.