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What is E-Rate funding? And how does the E-Rate program work?
E-Rate is a federal program administered under the Universal Administrative Company (USAC) under direction of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). It is designed to provide libraries and schools with access to affordable high-speed broadband internet and WiFi. Through E-Rate funding, K-12 school districts and libraries lacking the financial resources or a strong tax base have the opportunity to purchase new networking hardware and IT services at a discount.
Eligibility is determined by several criteria. For instance, a qualifying school district may receive a 20 to 90 percent discount based on the percentage of students eligible for free or reduced lunch, and whether a school district classifies as urban or rural.
Eligible services
Eligible services are divided into two categories, though Eaton products only apply to Category Two. Category One covers data transmission and/or Internet access, whereas Category Two applies to telecommunications equipment and services, and Internet access, as well as internal connections, managed internal broadband services and basic maintenance of internal connections. Eaton offers a wide selection of E-Rate Category Two-eligible products to facilitate broadband internal connections.
Eaton E-Rate funding eligible products
Eaton offers a full selection of Category Two E-Rate eligible products, including:
*Bundled UPS model with an -N suffix.
Prospective applicants submit a 470 form for competitive bids on their project. A 28-day waiting period then begins for resellers and contractors to provide bids on the application. Once the competitive bidding process has closed and an applicant chooses a bid, they then submit a 471 form to notify the FCC of the bid choice and acceptance of funding.
The decision maker at the facility is faced with many factors in their evaluation, including the price of eligible products and services that must be weighted more heavily than other factors.
Annual E-Rate program timeline
Like a guidance counselor or an academic advisor, our team of experts stands ready to be your trusted partner. Want to learn more about our range of education solutions, including those eligible for E-Rate discounts?
Get ahead of the curve for E-Rate funding
Eaton engineers are available throughout the U.S. to perform onsite assessments, setting you up for success with a detailed, clear roadmap for how to strengthen IT infrastructure and make sure you’re getting the right equipment.
An onsite power assessment with an Eaton application engineer includes:
Simplify the process of purchasing and maintaining a new UPS while still taking advantage of E-Rate funding with Eaton's Power Protect. Gain peace of mind in the reliability of your network by bundling a new UPS, removal of the old UPS, installation and an extended warranty with onsite response.
Power Protect is compatible with Eaton 9PX lithium-ion or lead acid UPSs and Eaton 5PX G2 rackmount UPSs.
Add optional Brightlayer Remote monitoring service, PredictPulse, to harness the power of predictive analytics and prevent outages before they occur.
