On March 22nd the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) held an open meeting in which three separate E-rate Orders were approved. There were 72 appeals dealing with contract issues, 76 appeals where applicants were denied for not responding to a USAC designated deadline and another 29 dealing with technology plans. USAC will have 90 to 120 days to process the applications associated with these appeals.
The FCC stated that "…in each case, USAC had denied the applications based on minor errors or technicalities. The Commission found that rigid adherence to the rules in these cases resulted in outcomes conflicting with the statutory goal mandated by Congress of ensuring that schools and libraries have access to advanced telecommunications services…"
Funds For Learning will conduct a full analysis of the decisions once they are officially released.
