State E-rate Coordinators Group Seeks Tweaks to 'Confusing' FCC Rules
Representatives of the State E-Rate Coordinators’ Alliance (SECA) spoke with Wireline Bureau staff on potential changes to rules for the E-rate Category 2 program. “Regarding the confusion between manufacturer right to use licenses and support licenses, and the different requirements of applying for E-Rate funding for each type of license -- some manufacturers bundle support and right to use features in a single license,” said a filing Monday in docket 13-184. “Applying for funding and reimbursement is exceptionally confusing in these situations.”
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In addition, the definition of managed internal broadband service (MIBS) “is confusing and overlaps with the definition of maintenance performed by third party vendors who provide maintenance services,” SECA said. “These types of services should be collapsed into the MIBS subcategory.” Using the student enrollment number of the first year of the five-year budget cycle “to compute the prediscount amount of all school and district budgets adds certainty and simplifies the processing of Category 2 applications throughout the five-year cycle,” the group said. “Applicants should still have the option of using a later year’s enrollment number should they choose to do so.”