August 4, 2014

Below, please find an excerpt from the National Rural Education Advocacy Coalition (NREAC) July meeting minutes, regarding E-Rate. 

NREAC July Meeting 

E-Rate: As mentioned in an update earlier this month, the long-running E-Rate advocacy efforts paid off when the FCC passed an E-Rate modernization plan that was drastically improved over the Chairman's initial proposal. You can read AASA's analysis and response on the blog (http://www.aasa.org/AASAblog.aspx). Relevant to this group, I want to flag some things that should stick out in your minds:

• Per Pupil Funding: This one is a double edged sword. While there are no permanent changes to E-Rate as it relates to per-pupil funding caps, the two-year test project (the infusion of the found funding into WiFi) will include a per-pupil cap. This will drive dollars to rural schools that otherwise may not have received Priority Two funding, while at the same time completely ignoring the cost differentials to very small/rural communities. The victory was in it not being a permanent change; the test program provides two years to see how per-pupil funding caps impact E-Rate.
• Raising the E-Rate Cap: Conversation about raising the E-Rate cap had been removed from the rule making. Having the Chairman introduce another rule focused on the program's funding needs is a big win. We anticipate that rule to be introduced shortly, with the comment period running in August and September. We will have to run a full court press, generating thousands of replies from the field, making the case for raising the cap. We tell you this so you can anticipate the upcoming call to action.

Sasha Pudelski

Assistant Director, Policy & Advocacy