The E-Rate (short for education rate) is a nationwide program that offers public and private schools and libraries the opportunity to receive substantial discounts on a wide range of advanced telecommunications services.

E-Rate discounts can be used for both existing school services, such as basic telephone, fax lines, cell phones and for new innovations designed to bring a school's technology infrastructure into the 21^st century.

The E-rate funds a broad range of Internet and telecommunications services, including Internet access, distance learning and videoconferencing service, high speed data connections, phone service, and some internal wiring and network equipment.

The E-Rate program is administered by the Universal Services Administrative Company (USAC).  Information about applying for the program, including forms, deadlines, and eligibility information, is available from USAC's Schools and Libraries Division (SLD) website.  Click here for that site. 

• The program began funding discounts on January 1, 1998. All public and private nonprofit k-12 schools with endowments less than $50 million and public libraries are eligible for discounts.

• Discounts apply to all commercially available telecom services, including plain old telephone service (POTS), Internet access, and internal connections, including wireless, wired, and cable.

• Discounts range from 20% to 90%, with a higher discount for rural institutions. Discount rate is based on the number of children eligible for the federal school lunch program.

• Discounts also apply to equipment necessary to transport information within a school or library, including routers, hubs, network file servers (and necessary software), and LANs.

• Discounts do not apply to computers (except for network file servers), other hardware, software, blocking and filtering software, fax machines, modems, teacher training, upgrades to the electrical system, and asbestos removal.

• Schools apply for discounts by completing an application and filing it with the Schools and Libraries Division. .

• All services for which discounts are sought must be subject to a competitive bidding process which is described in the application form and instructions.

• Applications are processed within a time period called the "application window" that is announced each year in the late Fall.

• Schools must have an approved technology plan only for Priority 2 Services (internal connections).  A tech plan for Priority 1 Services does not require approval.