On August 19th, 2014 the FCC’s E-rate 2.0 regulations were published in the Federal Register and the rules will become effective on September 18th, 2014. This Final Rule is tied to the FCC’s July 23rd, 2014 7th Report & Order which details the many changes that will occur for Funding Year 2015 and beyond.
On July 23rd, the FCC also released a Further Notice of Proposed Rule Making (FNPRM) as part of the 7th Report & Order (starting on page 106 of the document), to seek further comment on the administrative burdens of the program, changes to the program or rules which may be beneficial, how the FCC can further address the goals of the Report and Order, and the level of funding appropriate for the E-rate program. The FNPRM has also been released in the Federal Register on August 19th, 2014. Comments on the FNPRM are due by September 15th, 2014 and reply comments are due by September 30th, 2014.
E-rate stakeholders can comment on the FNPRM via the FCC web site with the FCC Electronic Comment Filing System (referencing docket number 13-184).
