1. RI Telecommunications Education Access Fund (RITEAF) RI Department of Education June 12, 2015

2. Agenda RITEAF– What is RITEAF? How are RITEAF Funds Used: The Consortium RIDE and Erate RITEAF forms and deadlines Distributing RITEAF dollars: Consortium Buying Power

3. What is RITEAF? RITEAF: RHODE ISLAND TELECOMMUNICATIONS ACCESS FUND RITEAF was enacted in RI General Laws under RIGL Chapter 39-1-61 in 2004, to provide a continued source of funding for internet access for eligible public and private schools and libraries. The purpose of the telecommunications education access fund shall be to fund a basic level of internet connectivity for all of the qualified schools (kindergarten through grade 12) and libraries in the state. Funds are created by a surcharge of twenty-six cents ($.26) per access line (telephone land line).

4. RIDE’s Consortium Who Participates: (~437 sites) Public Schools (Traditional, Charter & State) Private, Parochial & Independent Schools Educational Collaborative Public Libraries

5. Bandwidth from RITEAF Status Today Public Schools: –High – 1 Gb for majority –Middle – 200 Mb – 1 Gb –Elem – 50 Mb – 250 Mb Private Schools: –50/25 to 200 Mb Public Libraries: –Dial up (2) –50/25 to 1Gb

6. Using RITEAF Funds How are RITEAF Funds Used? RITEAF Funds, along with State Funds, pay for bandwidth for the consortium members – RITEAF does not fully support the cost for all bandwidth to the consortium members. Currently, bandwidth through RIDE’s MPA are purchased from OSHEAN, Cox and Fibertech. RIDE also bids and creates a Master Price Agreement (MPA) for the purchase of Internet Access which is utilized by all schools and libraries in RI. Cox and OSHEAN were selected to provide Internet Access under this MPA.

7. RIDE and Erate What does RIDE do for consortium members? -Submit a 470 Form for telecommunications -Write the RFP to create a MPA -Negotiate with qualified vendors for best prices -Submit a 471 on behalf of the Consortium -Answers questions from PIAs -Work with vendors to have cut over services ready on July 1 -Prepare budget requests to secure funding for telecommunication services

8. RITEAF Forms Cover letter Information Form Letter of Agency (LOA) RITEAF Enrollment Form Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA – FCC Form 479) Bandwidth Upgrade request FOR FUNDING YEAR 2016 – RITEAF deadline September 18, 2015 EVERY AUGUST FORMS ARE POSTED ON RIDE’s WEBSITE The RITEAF FORMS are due in September.

9. Cover Letter Technology Plans must be in place if Bandwidth upgrades are requested. All Public School districts must keep a current plan on file with RIDE, regardless of any request for bandwidth increases. Lunch Numbers National School Lunch Program (NSLP). Schools not included on the list MUST complete the Enrollment Form to provide a count of students with the comparable level of need to the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) utilizing a federal financial aid guideline. For many schools in the Providence Diocese, the calculations are done by the Diocese Others may use the IEG and do the calculations themselves or use companies such as PSAS (Private School Aid Service).

10. Information Form - School/District/Library name - Address (City, State and Zip code) - Phone Number, Ext. & FAX Number - Federal Registration Number (FCC-FRN); Obtained using link on form. - Billed Entity Number (BEN) -Technology Plans: Public Schools (required); All others (optional) If Bandwidth increase is being requested; technology plan is required. - Checklist for the RITEAF program

11. Letter of Agency (LOA) According to USAC a LOA must contain all of the following: -name of the person filing the application (the consortium leader) -name of the person authorizing the filing of the application (the entity who will receive discounted services, such as a consortium member) -specific timeframe the LOA or authorizing document covers (Funding Year (FY) 2016/17) -signature, signature date, and title of an official who is an employee of the entity who is authorizing the filing of the application (the entity who will receive discounted services, such as a consortium member) - type of services covered by the LOA or authorizing document (the description of services can be as general as "all E-rate Program eligible services" or it can be more restrictive)

12. RITEAF Enrollment Form This form is used by those entities NOT participating in the Rhode Island’s National School Lunch Program. NEW RULE UNDER USAC: Document retention is for ten (10) years. Be sure to save all documents related to this form; as PIA inquiries will request to review.

13. Children’s Internet Protection Act CIPA (FCC- FORM 479) In general, school and library authorities must certify either that they have complied with the requirements of CIPA. CIPA requirements include the following three (3) items: 1) Internet Safety Policy: For schools, the policy must also include monitoring the online activities of minors. Note: beginning July 1, 2012, when schools certify their compliance with CIPA, they will also be certifying that their Internet safety policies have been updated to provide for educating minors about appropriate online behavior, including interacting with other individuals on social networking websites and in chat rooms, cyberbullying awareness, and response. 2) Technology Protection Measure: A technology protection measure is a specific technology that blocks or filters Internet access.

14. CIPA (continued) 3) Public Notice and Hearing or Meeting: The authority with responsibility for administration of the school or library must provide reasonable public notice and hold at least one public hearing or meeting to address a proposed technology protection measure and Internet safety policy. When a school or library makes the certification in Block 2 of FCC-Form 479, it must be able to demonstrate that action was taken by the start of services. USAC will not request this documentation as part of the FCC Form 486 filing process but the school or library must maintain this documentation (for 10 years) in its files for audit purposes. For more information on CIPA: http://www.usac.org/sl/applicants/step06/cipa.aspx

15. Bandwidth Upgrade Request When requesting an increase in bandwidth the following must be submitted: - Bandwidth Upgrade request form - Current Technology Plan - Spreadsheet which designates by entity where increases are needed Requests must be made during RITEAF application period. RIDE makes every effort to accommodate reasonable requests

16. Distributing RITEAF Funds Allocating bandwidth to consortium members involves the following steps: Refreshing vendor prices annually (RFP/Form 470); Solicit and Review any requests for increased bandwidth received from schools and libraries; Analyze and compare vendor pricing against current allocation and requests for increases; and Using price as a primary decision, allocate bandwidth across schools and libraries within budget constraints

17. QUESTIONS Contact Information Karen A. Cooper Senior Project Manager RI Department of Education Karen.cooper@ride.ri.gov (401) 222-4694