A portion of a flow chart describing the process in which applicants can qualify for a reimbursement under the E-Rate service program, as taken from the ECLKC website.
(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — In a meeting held last week, the Federal Communications Commission (www.fcc.gov) ruled that Web hosting will continue to be a top priority in a program that provides communities with discounted telecommunications services for schools and libraries.
First set up in 1997 as part of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the E-rate program (http://www.fcc.gov/learnnet) subsidizes Internet access fees in order to provide affordable telecommunications services for schools and libraries.
E-Rate allocates up to $2.25 billion every year to provide eligible schools and libraries with discounts from authorized telecommunications services.
The program is just one of the four programs that fall under the Universal Service Fund.
Overseen by the FCC, the $8 billion government fund helps subsidize Internet access in low income and rural communities via a surcharge on telephone bills.
The FCC determined that “features that facilitate the ability to communicate, such as blogging, emailing over a school or library’s hosted website, discussions boards, and services that facilitate interactive communication should be eligible for e-rate funds as part of a Web hosting package” and will be added to the Eligible Services List.
The list is organized into four sections including telecommunications services, Internet access, internal connections, basic maintenance, in addition to a miscellaneous section.
The government organization also contends that many of the electronic mediums used today, such as blogging, did not exist when the commission released its first E-rate order in 1997.
The FCC notice states that “web hosting should continue to receive priority one funding. Comments provided compelling examples of how web hosting is essential for facilitating teaching and learning as well as communication among the entire school community… Web hosting, as the commentators have shown, is an example of a service that can provide a substantial educational impact for a relatively small cost.”
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