E-Rate Eligible Solutions
What is E-Rate?
E-Rate is the common name for the Schools and Libraries Program of the Universal Service Fund. It provides discounts to help schools and libraries obtain affordable telecommunications and Internet access.
The E-rate program provides discounts on certain services and products that are essential for classrooms and libraries to receive voice, video, and data communications.
What is our discount?
Discounts range from 20-90% and depend upon the number of students eligible for free and reduced lunch as well as the district's status as either urban or rural.
INCOME
Measured by % of students eligible for the National School Lunch Program |
URBAN LOCATION
Discount |
RURAL LOCATION
Discount |
If the % of students in your school that qualifies for the National School Lunch Program is... |
...and you are in an URBAN area, your
discount will be... |
...and you are in a RURAL area, your
discount will be... |
Less than 1% |
20% |
25% |
1% to 19% |
40% |
50% |
20% to 34% |
50% |
60% |
35% to 49% |
60% |
70% |
50% to 74% |
80% |
80% |
75% to 100% |
90% |
90% |
(Discount chart provided by USAC.)
What Lightspeed solutions are eligible?
The Campus Collaboration Bundle is a 68% Priority One E-Rate eligible solution. It includes a hosted district web site, My Big Campus, Campus Mail, and our Web Filter. It costs $4/workstation.
The new Campus Collaboration Bundle gives districts a safe, monitored, integrated way to share information, access resources, collaborate, communicate, and more—across groups and classes, schools, districts, communities, and even the whole My Big Campus network.
Why is it 68% Priority One E-Rate eligible?
Priority One eligible services include recurring telecommunications and Internet access services. Within our Campus Collaboration Bundle, the hosted district web site, email service, and portions of My Big Campus are Priority One E-Rate eligible as they provide functions described under the eligible 2011 Priority One Internet Access services.
The bundle also includes non-eligible features, such as web filtering. As common practice, these portions are allocated out of the whole. The solution is 68% eligible because 68% of the bundle's total feature set is eligible and we have allocated out the ineligible portions that make up the remaining 32% of the bundle.
Could you give me an example?
Sure!
The Campus Collaboration Bundle costs $4 per workstation and is 68% eligible.
$4.00 x .68 = $2.72 – eligible portion of bundle
Let's say you are in a rural district with 80% free and reduced lunch. This makes your E-Rate discount 90%.
$2.72 x .90 = $2.44 – amount E-Rate funds will cover
$4.00-2.44 = $1.56 – amount you pay per workstation
What do I need to do?
Here's the basic process:
- Between July and January, applicants file a Form 470 which identifies requests for services such as email and web hosting.
- Wait 28 days while service providers submit bids.
- Between November and February (or later, depending on extension of filing window), applicants file a Form 471, including the vendor selected for requested services.
- In the spring, everyone is notified.
- In the summer, reimbursements are sent.
What if I still have questions?
The E-Rate process can be confusing. We're here to help.
You can found out more:
- USAC - Great information from the Universal Services Administrative Company, which administers the E-Rate program
- E-Rate Central - Another helpful site with lots of tips
- eSchool News - A guide to securing the latest funds
Or contact us! We have trained sales representatives and partners who can help you through every step of the E-Rate process.