Top Districts Request Less E-rate Support for FY 2006

According to a Funds For Learning analysis of E-rate support requests for Funding Year 2006, the tally of requests among the top 25 applicants—based on total amount requested for Funding Year 2006—has dropped by more than $30 Million since last year. This year's list is topped by Dallas [Texas] Independent School District with requests totaling over $115 Million. Though higher than their requests for FY 2005, it does match Dallas' average requests over the previous five years.

The number two requestor of E-rate support for the year is Houston ISD with requests of $112 Million, which is only slightly higher than their average of total requests for the previous five years. One other applicant—the New York City Board of Education—had requests totaling $100 Million or greater for Funding Year 2006.

If funded as requested, the top three requestors would take approximately 15% of the $2.25 Billion that is set aside annually from the Universal Service Fund for the E-rate program.

Two unexpected applicants on the list, Jefferson-Lewis BOCES (NY) and Detroit Public Library (MI), both appear to have made requests whose Monthly Recurring Charges are exactly 100 times greater than last year's requests, suggesting that a clerical error may have put them on the Top 25 list. FFL estimates that these requests will be corrected through the course of application review.

Below is the complete Top 25 list as compiled from the SLD's "Data Request Tool" on March 21, 2006.