On August 10, 2012, the Federal Communications Commission issued a Public Notice soliciting comments on a petition filed by the State E-rate Coordinators Association, which “seeks clarification of the extent to which E-rate rules permit service providers to bundle ineligible end-user devices with E-rate eligible services” and proposes several suggestions for clarifying eligibility and free services regulations. Comments were due on September 10, and the Commission received a number of comments from E-rate stakeholders.
In general, opinions regarding the petition were mixed. Some organizations fully supported SECA‚Äôs proposed free services regulations, while others partially supported SECA‚Äôs suggestions. By contrast, several stakeholders ‚Äì Funds For Learning included – stated their belief that the existing regulations in the FCC‚Äôs Clarification Order are adequate and do not require further clarification. Stakeholders submitting comments include:
Stakeholders may submit reply comments in support of (or opposition to) comments previously filed by other organizations. Reply comments were due September 24, and two parties submitted reply comments: