If you wanted to, you could do it at your public library. And now you can do it at your local elementary, middle or high school too.  Access the Internet for free, that is. Today, the FCC, as part of its big push to make broadband available to more members of the public announced that schools receiving E-rate support for Internet access may, for the first time, open up their high-speed networks to the public at times when those networks would be, for the most part, pretty much going to waste – evenings, weekends, holidays, and summer breaks.   Before today, that would have been a violation of program rules.

There have been several articles in the education industry press about Congressman Markey's E-rate 2.0 bill.  The expansion of the Universal Service Fund to include schools and libraries took many years of advocacy and negotiation with various stakeholders and I feel compelled to remind everyone that having a legislative proposal or bill become law is an arduous process and can take years before possibly enacted.

Since the Form 471 filing window has been extended by 8 days, so too has the de facto Form 470 deadline which was originally set for January 14. Any Forms 470 on or before January 22 may now be used on Funding Year 2010 applications, provided all of the provisions of the 28-day posting period, vendor selection process, and certification requirements are completed according to established E-rate regulations.

Last fall Senator Rockefeller, who was one of the original authors of the E-rate program, encouraged the FCC adjust its rules to "accommodate the impact of inflation".  He further stated in his letter to the FCC that "...the [$2.25 billion] cap that was put in place in July 1997 has an equivalent value in August 2009 of $1.68 billion..."

In its latest semiannual report to Congress, the FCC Office of Inspector General indicated that it will be shifting some E-rate audits off of its desk. While they will still conduct some traditional USF audits, they will be stepping back from the improper payments (IPIA) audits that they have conducted in the past.

Numerous blog entries have been posted about the audit process, the amount of resources USAC and the FCC have spent conducting audits, and how school districts must absorb the costs associated with responding to an E-rate audit.  The FCC Office of Inspector General recently released a report to Congress that highlights 66 E-rate applicants whose audits were conducted between August 2004 and 2008 but are still not closed.  The possible amount of recovery is over $14 million, however, the FCC has suspended their initial findings until "...completion of E-rate program policy reviews by the Commission and conclusion of a Commissions proceeding seeking comment from program participants on appropriate follow-up measures..."

This week Congress passed and the President signed H.R. 3288 which is a consoidated appropriations bill that encompases many federal agencies including the Federal Communications Commission.  There were a few items with E-rate implications that are important for E-rate stakeholders to be aware of.

On November 3rd, the FCC issued Public Notice NBP #15, Comment Sought on Broadband Needs in Education, Including Changes to E-Rate Program to Improve Broadband Deployment. Funds For Learning has reviewed 37 documents filed with the FCC in response to the Public Notice and provide this analysis of the comments.

A pair of Funds For Learning E-rate experts have put together a list of ten helpful pieces of advice when it comes to applicants' Forms 470. The article was featured in eSchoolNews. You can read the list here.

The E-rate Form 471 application filing window for Funding Year 2010 is open for applicants across the country.  It extends from Dec. 3, 2009 to Feb. 11, 2010.  Funds For Learning has put together a list of seven key tips to help applicants navigate the often turbulent waters of the E-rate funding application process.