E-Rate for Libraries Donna Mattingly, E-Rate Central Greg Weisiger, E-Rate Central

Agenda What is E-Rate? E-Rate Categories of Service E-Rate Timeline Technology Planning Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) Applying for E-Rate Form 470 (Example) E-Rate Resources Questions?

Poll Question [Please indicate your answer in the poll at right] Have you applied for E-rate? Yes, in the past year Yes, in the past 3 years My library has, but I haven't been a part of the application process No, never applied

What is E-Rate? Discounts on telecommunications, Internet Access, Internal Connections and Basic Maintenance of Internal Connections Schools and libraries are eligible Discounts range from 20–90%, the amount of discount depends on the level of poverty and location of the school or library (urban or rural) receiving services Average discount for libraries is about 70% Funding comes from the Universal Service Fees on your telephone bills Regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and administered by the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC)

What can E-Rate mean to my library?

E-Rate Categories of Services Priority One (P1) - Telecommunications Services Examples: Local and Long Distance service Cellular Service Text messaging Web browsing Broadband Telecommunications, including service to Bookmobiles Interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Taxes and fees Installation and configuration

E-Rate Categories of Service Priority One (P1) - Internet Access Examples: E-mail Service Wireless Internet Access for cell phones Broadband Internet Access (From DSL to Ethernet) Web Hosting VoIP

E-rate Categories of Services Priority Two (P2) – Internal Connections & Basic Maintenance of Internal Connections Examples of Internal Connections: Support for equipment and cabling on-site that transport information to classrooms or public rooms of a library Does NOT include end-user components such as computers Subject to the Two-in-Five Rule Entities can only receive funding every two out of five years Examples of Basic Maintenance: Repair and upkeep of eligible hardware Wire and cable maintenance Basic technical support NOTE: Only highest discount libraries will qualify for P2

E-Rate Timeline for 2011 Technology Plan Request Services – Form 470 Only for Priority 2 Services Request Services – Form 470 By February 24th Order Services – Form 471 By March 24th Receive Services – Form 486 Typically by October 29, 2011 Invoice USAC – Form 472 Typically by October 28, 2012 Fund Year: July 1, 2011 – June 30, 2012

Technology Plan Requirements for FY 2011 and beyond: No longer required for Priority One Services; Telecommunications and Internet Access Required for Priority Two Services; Internal Connections and Basic Maintenance Four required elements: Clear Goals, Needs Assessment, Staff Development, Evaluation

Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) Requirements of CIPA Technology Protection Measure, Filter Internet Access: images of child pornography (illegal) visual depictions that are obscene (local norms) harmful to minors (local norms) Internet Safety Policy must address: Minors’ access to inappropriate material safety and security of minors when online unauthorized access and unlawful activities by minors online disclosure and dissemination of minors’ personal information protection measure (filter) Public Notice and Hearing CIPA Compliance only required for Internet Access and P2 funding

Applying for E-rate Obtain a Billed Entity Number (BEN): Call the SLD at 1-888-203-8100 Obtain a registration number from the FCC (FCC RN): https://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/coresWeb/publicHome.do Apply online Form 470 and 471: http://www.sl.universalservice.org/menu.asp

Form 470: Who I Am and What I Want The “Who I Am and What I Want” form begins the competitive process: Must be filed by the entity that is able to negotiate and sign contracts on behalf of the school or library Identify and describe your desired categories of service and the function of the services Notify potential bidders (service providers) of the types and quantities of services that you need Follow all applicable state and local procurement laws Wait 28 days after the Form 470 is posted to the USAC website or after public availability of your Request for Proposals (RFP), whichever is later, before selecting a vendor or executing a contract

Your Form Identifier

X X

X X

X

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Billed Entity Number (BEN) from SLD

X Priority 1 services only X X

X X X X

X X X

Next Steps after the Form 470 Wait 28 days after the Form 470 is posted Keep all incoming bids/correspondence with bidders and prepare to evaluate bids equally Price as the primary factor – when evaluating bids, the price of E-Rate eligible services must be the most heavily-weighted factor in your evaluation of bids Sample Evaluation Sheet: Price of the ELIGIBLE goods and services 30% Prior experience 25% Personnel qualifications 20% State, Cooperative, GSA Master Contract 15% Local Vendor 10% TOTAL 100% Calculate the library’s Discount Level using local school Free and Reduced Lunch figures Submit Form 471 by March 24, 2011 deadline

Keys to Success Start early – little issues can slow you down Plan a strategy Save everything – a good filing system goes a long way Ask questions, use E-rate resources Attend the Form 471 webinar on March 15th

E-Rate Resources E-Rate Central, Donna M. Mattingly dmattingly@e-ratecentral.com (804) 302-4406 E-Rate Central, Greg Weisiger erate1@aol.com (804) 302-4406 E-Rate Central Website: http://www.e-ratecentral.com/default.asp Universal Service Administrative Company: http://www.universalservice.org/sl Federal Communications Commission: http://www.fcc.gov E-Rate State Coordinators: http://www.e-ratecentral.com/us/default.asp

Questions?

Stay Involved March 15 Webinar E-rate: Form 471 and Beyond! On WebJunction webjunction.org/techplan-erate Crossroads (monthly newsletter) webjunction.org/crossroads Events webjunction.org/events/webinars Thank you everyone for coming to today’s webinar. I will send an email out afterwards with links to the archive, more resources and where the post-webinar discussion will be occurring. I have pushed out a survey that I hope you will have time to take. We really appreciate your feedback on our webinar series.