K12> ERATE Action Alert

**************************************************************
Net Happenings - From Educational CyberPlayGround
**************************************************************

The E-Rate program is coming under fire from several fronts and its very
existence may be imperiled. Now is the time to contact your Senators and
Representatives to let them know how important the E-Rate is to you.

BACKGROUND: Since December, a number of allegations of waste, fraud and
abuse in the E-Rate program have appeared in the press and in key reports.
One such incident has led to federal prosecutors charging four
representatives of Connect2, Internet Networks, Inc. with attempting to
bilk the program of millions of dollars by convincing schools that they
would pay the undiscounted share of the eligible services for them and that
they should order services far more expensive than they could afford. This
incident and others led to the publication of a report highly critical of
the E-Rate program by the Center for Public Integrity, which included a
quote from an auditor with the Inspector Generalâ??s Office that states:
"It's not unfair to say we have found something wrong everywhere we have
looked. It appears to be both intentional and unintentional." These press
reports and negative comments, in turn, spawned the launch of an
investigation by the House Commerce Committeeâ??s Subcommittee on Oversight
and Investigations early this year.

E-Rate events simmered for a while but have reached a boil in the past two
weeks. In quick succession, the following events occurred:

* The E-Rate's administrator announced that it had denied, in a single Year
5 funding wave, approximately $590 million in discount requests on the
grounds that the competitive bidding process had been compromised. Large
city districts, including Atlanta, Cleveland, Dallas and Fort Worth, lost
tens of millions of dollars. This large-scale rejection has caused great
consternation in the applicant and vendor communities.

* The House Commerce Committee, which had been quietly pursuing its E-Rate
waste, fraud and abuse investigation, publicly demanded documents
pertaining to particular E-Rate applications from the FCC and the Schools
and Libraries Division. The press release accompanying these requests
stated that the investigation was being "stepped-up" and labeled the E-Rate
program "troubled."

* Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo, a persistent critic of the program,
introduced a bill (HR 1252) that would eliminate the program. The bill
already has four cosponsors.

* Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John McCain called for a hearing on
universal service issues, likely including the E-Rate, for April 2.

* FCC Commissioner Kathleen Abernathy announced that she would hold a
public forum on May 8 to address potential changes to the E-Rate. The
Commissioner stated that recent events "have convinced me that the FCC
needs to take a hard look at whether our rules provide an adequate
framework to avoid wasteful expenditures and prevent gaming of the system.
While our established procedures have successfully uncovered instances of
program abuse, we need to consider changes to lessen the potential for
waste, fraud, and abuse."

ACTION NEEDED: Now is the time to contact your Senators and Representatives
and tell them how critical are the discounted services supported by the
E-Rate. Please make certain to inform your Congressional representatives
the amount of E-Rate discounts that your institution has received since its
inception, what services that your institution has been able to purchase
through E-Rate discounts, and the great educational opportunities (distance
learning courses, professional development, parental involvement, etc.)
that the E-Rate has catalyzed.

Please call, fax or email your Senators and Representatives.  Senators' and
Representatives' offices can be reached through the Capitol Hill
switchboard at 202-224-3121.  Emails for Senators may be found at the
Senate website <http://www.senate.gov> and the emails for the
Representatives may be found at the House website
<http://www.house.gov>.  Please provide your return address when emailing.

This information came from ISTE.

*********************************************************************
HELP FOR THE NEW TEACHER
Classroom management skills is the number one concern. Find
practical advice, How-To's, Survival Kits, ice breakers, and
online resources that integrate technology into the classroom.
<http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Teachers/newteacher.html>
********************************************************************* 

**************************************************************
The Net Happenings mailing list is a service of
Educational CyberPlayGround - http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/
**************************************************************
If you have any questions, concerns, suggestions, or
would like to sponsor the Net Happenings service -
<http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Community/Subguidelines.html>

Subscribe | Unsubscribe | Change Email Preferences -
<http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Community/NetHappenings.html>
**************************************************************

Other related posts: