E-Rate: Overcoming the Hurdle Presented by the WebJunction communities of Arizona, Kansas, and New Mexico NMLA/MPLA 2007 Conference 16 March 2007

Agenda 1.Overview of the E-Rate program. 2.Understanding the E-Rate calendar. 3.Reasons for E-Rate funding denial. 4.E-Rate resources. 5.E-Rate success stories from the field.

All About the Numbers… Most of the statistics in this presentation come from: Public Libraries and the Internet 2006, Florida State University: An ongoing study funded by the American Library Association and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

E-Rate Overview The Universal Service Fund (USF or E-Rate) program: Funded by interstate telecommunications usage charges. Designed to partially fund telecommunications services and infrastructure used for educational purposes in schools and libraries. If you pay a phone bill, youre paying into the program. Look for the Federal USF or Universal Service charge (next slide).

E-Rate on your phone bill

The BIG Picture Program is capped at a total payout of $2.25 billion per year. Between 4% and 5% of the total funds are disbursed to public libraries. The majority of the E-Rate funds go to schools.

Big Picture: Funding Year 2006

How Can E-Rate Funds Be Used? 1.Telecommunications services 2.Internet access 3.Internal connections 4.Basic maintenance of internal connections

E-Rate Reimbursements for Public Libraries

Why Apply? Get help paying for : –Internet access / wireless / computer training labs –Tech support staff Get help providing Internet services for : –Low income families who can't afford internet access –Children who need resources for their home-work –Seniors –Travelers –Small businesses –Job seekers

Why Dont Libraries Seek Funding?

More Reasons for Not Applying… Resource issues No time to do it, no trained staff, no resources Tried, had problems, gave up Applied, encumbered but did not claim Training issues Requires a level of expertise to develop confidence especially to apply for all elements Apply only for telephones as doing more involves doing a tech plan in the format required by USAC Vendor issues Do not have enough vendors to get competitive rates or services Some vendors do not understand or are unwilling to do the reimbursements Bills bundled into one big county/city bill

Understanding the E-Rate Calendar Funding year: July 1 through the following June 30. Understanding the calendar can be one of the most challenging parts of the program The application process occurs prior to the start of the funding year. If you are apply for more than telephone service, you need a draft of a Technology Plan before the start of the process.

A Brief Look at the E-Rate Calendar Description of services requested – Tech Plan Draft Form 470By October Description of services ordered Form 471November to February Confirmation of receipt of services Form 486Up to 120 days after funding confirmation Reimbursement and invoicing Form 472 Form 474 Up to 120 days after the previous step Appeal of funding denial - NA -Up to 60 days after receipt of funding decision

E-Rate Funding Denial Unfortunately, the E-Rate program is administratively complex. ; ) In addition, the program has been subject to waste, fraud and abuse. This means that the Schools & Libraries Division (SLD) is vigilant about reviewing and (sometimes) challenging funding applications.

Reasons for Denial Ineligible products and services Contracts not signed or not in place Unauthorized consortium members Insufficient documentation Insufficient support resources Form 470 not filed Competitive bidding violations 28-Day Rule violations Invalid telecom provider Form 470 not certified or certified late

E-Rate Success Stories Arizona : Aggressive training + Resources and Tools total reimbursements for of $57.5 million or #9 in total reimbursements for the country. In Pinal County, we have mostly rural libraries, with 6 libraries in very remote areas. With the help of e-rate funding, I have been able to get T1 lines to every library in our county. The high cost would be out of our range without the discounts provided by e-rate. The real benefit is to the residents in remote areas, since the public access workstations in the libraries are often the only available internet connection. Denise Keller, Pinal County

E-Rate Success Stories Kansas : E-Rate is invaluable for a small library like us because it enables our library to shift about $ of our budget to books, programs or technology that we could not do if we were paying full rates for telephone service and internet. Kim Priest, Mary Cotton Public Library, Sabetha Because of E-rate funding we were able to increase our internet speed and offer our patrons this valuable service of free high speed Internet. Many of our patrons do not have a computer or cannot afford the faster internet capabilities. Jean Schlegel, Ness City Public Library

Looking for Help? Visit our presentation handout online at:

Contact: Malavika Muralidharan Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records Jeff Hall WebJunction Cindi Hickey Kansas State Library