So far in Wave 1 of 2011 E-Rate funding, 57 public libraries have received funding commitments. Most schools or libraries have more than one funding request. There is a separate funding request for each vendor and, depending on the service (e.g., telecommunications or Internet), a library may have two or more funding requests for the same vendor. There are 170 funding requests from Idaho libraries and 139 have been funded at this time, for a total of $423,035.70.

 The E-Rate program (also known as the Schools and Libraries Program of the Universal Service Fund) is administered by the Schools and Libraries Division (SLD) of the Universal Service Administrative Company under the direction of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Through the E-Rate program, discounts are made available to eligible schools and libraries for telecommunication services, Internet access, internal connections, and basic maintenance of internal connections. Discounts for support depend on the level of poverty and the urban/rural status of the population served. Discounts range from 20% to 90% of the costs of eligible services.

For more information about E-Rate visit http://libraries.idaho.gov/landing/e-rate or www.universalservice.org/sl/about/overview-program.aspx/.

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