Rating the E-rate

With so much money at stake, and a byzantine application process, the E-rate is the source of nightmares for many participants. Yet, despite the program's complexity, three out of four applicants say the E-rate is meeting its goal of connecting schools and libraries to the Internet, according to a comprehensive new survey--and many applicants say they couldn't do without it. Conducted by eSchool News and E-rate consulting firm Funds For Learning LLC, the survey polled more than 700 E-rate applicants on a wide range of questions about the program. The survey responses, which come a full decade into the E-rate's existence, provide the most complete picture yet of who the typical E-rate manager is, how much time applicants invest in the program, their attitudes and opinions about various aspects of the E-rate process, the key challenges that participants face in applying--and their ideas for how to improve the E-rate. Although 77 percent of respondents said the E-rate is meeting its goal, fewer than half (46 percent) said the program is well managed. Common complaints included too much paperwork, an inconvenient timeframe for applying, and inconsistent support from the Schools and Libraries Division of the Universal Service Administrative Co. (USAC), the agency that administers the E-rate.
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/?&i=53964