E-Rate for Libraries

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

2. Agenda • Whatis 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?

3. 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

4. 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)

5. What can E-Rate mean to my library?

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. E-Rate Timeline for 2011 Fund Year: July 1, 2011 – June 30, 2012

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

17. Your Form Identifier

18. X X

20. X X

21. X

22. X

23. X

24. Billed Entity Number (BEN) from SLD

26. X Priority 1 services only X X

27. X X X X

28. X X X

29. 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

30. 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

31. 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

32. Questions?

33. Stay Involved March 15 WebinarE-rate: Form 471 and Beyond! On WebJunction webjunction.org/techplan-erate Crossroads (monthly newsletter) webjunction.org/crossroads Events webjunction.org/events/webinars