E-rate Commitments Issued Faster Than Previous Years
Edmond, Okla. (Mar. 13, 2008) – Schools and libraries are able to experience the benefits of the E-rate program sooner than in years past, according to a new report issued by Funds For Learning. After examining information from E-rate Funding Years 2005, 2006, and 2007, the report found that The Schools and Libraries Division of the Universal Service Administrative Company (SLD) is issuing E-rate funding commitments more efficiently, and disbursing E-rate funds at a faster rate.
Research shows that during the first 12 months after the close of the Form 471 Filing Window, the SLD increased its issuance of funding commitments from one year to the next. The amount of funding committed increased from an average of $85 million per month for Funding Year 2005, to more than $110 million per month in Funding Year 2007.
Furthermore, when comparing the pace of E-rate disbursements for the first six months of the same funding years, research found that the SLD is disbursing funds at a faster rate than each previous year. In the first six months of Funding Year 2005, the SLD authorized just over $54 million in disbursements. In the same period for Funding Year 2007, that number grew to more than $141 million, which represents an increase of 161 percent.
More Information
The Schools and Libraries Division of the Universal Service Administrative Company administers the E-rate program; details available at www.usac.org.
To mark the 10th anniversary of the E-rate program and Funds For Learning, the company has published “E-rate Review: 10 Years and Counting” (PDF, 944KB), a white paper on the success of the E-rate program and its impact on stakeholders.
Other background material: History of the E-rate Program, The E-rate Application Process, and Latest E-rate News.
About E-rate
The E-rate program, officially known as Universal Service Funding for Schools and Libraries, was created as the result of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. The Federal Communications Commission created the E-rate program to help schools and libraries, especially those in economically disadvantaged and rural areas, obtain telecommunications services such as phone service and access to the Internet. Before the E-rate program, only three percent of the nation's classrooms were connected to the Internet. Today, more than 95 percent of classrooms have Internet access, thanks to the funding schools and districts receive from the E-rate program every year.
About Funds For Learning
Funds For Learning, LLC, is an E-rate compliance firm specializing in guiding E-rate applicants and service providers through the complex and ever-changing E-rate regulatory process. With more than 10 years of experience in providing professional advice and assistance relating to the E-rate program, Funds For Learning exists to provide high-quality solutions for the needs of E-rate stakeholders. The company was established in 1997 and is headquartered in Edmond, Okla. Visit www.fundsforlearning.com or phone 405-341-4140 for more information.
Contacts
Funds For Learning, LLC
Scott Weston
405-471-0953
sweston at fundsforlearning dot com
www.fundsforlearning.com
C. Blohm & Associates, Inc.
Emily Embury
608-839-9800
emily at cblohm dot com
www.cblohm.com
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