Preliminaries
- 1. Background materials
- An extensive resource
library has been created for the use of
seminar participants. The library contains
key documents that define the federal program
for Universal Service discounts which are to be
made available to schools and libraries. It
also contains information on Pennsylvania's
implementation of this program and of related
state programs.
- 2. Registration form
- During the week of September 8-14, over
200 Pennsylvania teachers and librarians
enrolled for participation in the Universal
Service: Pennsylvania online seminar.
- 3. Electronic survey
- Registrants were asked about their
experience in networking, what they expected
to learn from the seminar and any additional
comments that they wished to make. This
material is available along with a complete
listing of all
participants. Responses on what
participants expect to learn will shape the
structure of the seminar. Those responses
can be categorized briefly as follows:
- Information about Universal Service
- Procedure to apply for Universal Service
- How schools and libraries can benefit
- Funding information and ideas
- How telecommunications is used in education and libraries
- How others are dealing with Universal Service
- Partnership and leverage
- Technology plans and other technical issues
Week One (September 15 - 19)
The first week of the forum will provide participants with an
introduction to the processes by which Universal Service rules are
developed, an overview of the online materials provided by the PUC, and
an introduction to networking activities under way in the schools and
libraries of Pennsylvania.
- Goals of the PUC
- Needs of Pennsylvania schools and libraries
- Information that educators and librarians can supply to the PUC
- PUC procedures on Universal Service
- Networking activities in Pennsylvania
- Student use of the Internet
- Administrative use of the Internet
- Use of the Internet by teachers and librarians
- Impact of Internet use on the learning environment
- Networking partnerships
The first week's discussion began with three questions - one on
needs, one on schools vs. libraries and one on urban vs. rural
areas. A brief summary of the discussion around each question
is given below. Please send comments to
us-pa@info-ren.org
if you feel that this summary has omitted any important points
in the discussion.
1) What are the one or two most pressing needs of
your PA school or library for the implementation
of effective and sustainable telecommunications
programs?
- Funding
- There is a need for sustainable funding for hardware,
software and connectivity - and for the maintenance of these
facilities and training in their use.
- Access
- Sites need affordable and adequate bandwidth with specialized
services (such as wireless) where required.
- Training and Information
- If equipment is to be used effectively, people have to know
how to use it. Pennsylvania facilities which previously provided
such training have been closed. There is a need for a clearinghouse
of technical information so that schools and libraries can more
easily develop expertise in the design and maintenance of
telecommunications services.
- General
- Schools and libraries need that rare combination -
a person who understands technology
and education.
The adoption of new communications technologies involves a
cultural change. There needs to be informed leadership in this
process, aided by broad public understanding of the capabilities
of this technology. In the commercial sector there need to
be advocates for libraries and schools to assure that telecommunications
providers will help these organizations realize the full potential
of new technologies in these environments.
2) How do the needs of schools and libraries differ,
and how are they complementary?
- Activies
- Libraries deal with facts and filing, information searching
and materials management. They provide information access for
a broad range of materials. Schools are more involved with the
presentation and interpretation of information. The focus is
narrower and the setting more formal. Both schools and libraries
provide information and tools for learning. Both are centers
of knowledge in the community, and both assist in
similar types of research. The two institutions are
complementary in terms of formats and methods. The
audiences served by these organizations differ in size
and breadth, and the hours of access are often
complementary.
- Needs
- Classroom needs drive the applications of
technology in the school, often encouraging group access
and requiring large numbers of user devices for
simultaneous use and high bandwidth connectivity to the
school. Library technology is driven by the
needs of individual patrons, which can be met with fewer
numbers of user devices and lower bandwidth to the
library location.
Schools have taxing authority which makes them financially
more stable than most libraries. Their size often enables
them to gain a better negotiating position in purchasing.
Pennsylvania libraries have a lower profile in political
terms, which translates into chronically lower levels
of funding. This makes it particularly difficult for
libraries to adopt new technologies.
Both schools and libraries need to respect the privacy
of their users' records. And both institutions are
subject to criticism for not monitoring access by minors
to controversial materials online.
3) How do the needs of rural schools and libraries differ from
those of schools and libraries in urban areas?
- Access
- The word access has different meanings in rural
and urban areas. An urban school or library may lack high-bandwidth
connectivity because it cannot afford the current tariff for
this service; an urban school or library may not have access
to this service at any price.
More generally, rural areas typically lack price competition
and may have very limited telecommunications infrastructure
in place. There appears to be more competition among Internet
Service Providers than among telephone companies as a whole.
Physical access to facilities is more problematic in rural
areas than urban ones, meaning that the need for services
such as distance education is enhanced.
- General
- Rural schools and libraries have typically lower funding than
their urban equivalents. Services are more expensive, and
technical expertise is harder to come by. Beyond economics
there are differences in the way of life of rural and urban
areas. Distance learning can be a boon to rural areas, but
only if there is an infrastructure in place to provide
this service. Rural schools and libraries become focal
points for people to see and use new technologies.
In addition to postings which addressed the questions listed above
there were a number of postings raising questions relating
to the implementation of the Universal Service discount program.
To accommodate these and future questions, we are setting up
a FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS list (FAQ), which will be linked
to the us-pa Web site. Please post your questions and answers
directly to the discussion list,
us-pa@info-ren.org
We will solicit advice from school and library groups, the
Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Pennsylvania Public
Utility Commission for authoritative answers to all posted questions.
Two additional comments were made, which are of general enough
interest to repeat:
- It was suggested that something akin to the Rural Electrification
Administration be created to assure adequate information access for
rural areas of the state.
- It was argued that there should be incentives for telecommunications
providers to provide expanded services at lower cost. In a truly
competitive environment this would happen naturally as new
technologies provided new economies, but the present telecommunications
market lacks the competitive edge to bring this about.
Week Two (September 22 - 26)
The second week will examine the report by the Subcommittee on Schools
and Libraries of the Universal Service Task Force of the Pennsylvania
PUC. Teachers, librarians and other seminar participants will have the
opportunity to comment upon specific provisions of the Subcommittee's
report and to offer suggestions for changes or additions to this
report.
- Report of the PUC Task Force
- Suggestions to the PUC on Universal Service
- How other states are dealing with Universal Service issues
- Other measures under PUC jurisdiction
- Possibilities for public participation in other PUC proceedings
A major development in Week Two of the online seminar was on the construction
of a
Frequently Asked Questions
list to describe the Universal
Service programs, eligibility, services covered, discounts and
funding, application procedures and issues specific to Pennsylvania.
The list represents a distillation of information
from the FCC and the US Department of Education, supplemented
with questions submitted by seminar participants.
Week Three (September 29 - October 3)
The third week will deal with the FCC's ruling on Universal Service and
its relevance for schools and libraries in Pennsylvania. These
discussions will include information on how Pennsylvania organizations
can take advantage of the discounted services that will be available
under this ruling. The third week's discussion will conclude with
recommendations for the Link to Learn program so that a combination of
Link to Learn funding, Universal Service discounts and other available
funding sources will be able to meet adequately the educational needs
of Pennsylvania's students and teachers.
- Current status of the FCC's ruling on Universal Service
- Eligibility for discounts under the federal program
- Application procedures
- Link-to-Learn and Universal Service
- Other state programs
- Future activities under Link-to-Learn
During the seminar's third week the list of
Frequently Asked Questions on Universal
Service (FAQ) was expanded, and answers to many questions
were provided with reference to original FCC Orders.
In addition to the questions posted publicly to the seminar's
discussion list, we received a number of private submissions.
A sampling of these submissions is given below, with references to
similar questions on the FAQ list.
Consortia and Aggregation
- I have been told that schools should form a
consortium when it fits their needs and file
individually for other needs. In other words - if
the IU provides your internet service and
technology materials go with them for the
erate for those services. If that same district is
hooked up with a different consortium for distance
learning then join them for their erate solution. If
you have projects going on in the district to create a
intranetwork or some type of Netday wiring and
Link to Learn projects then apply for a different
type of erate for your individual district. Plus, the
district can apply on their own for telephone
services.
[4.8]
- How should schools and libraries aggregate?
[1.3]
- How should schools and libraries average discounts
for library systems?
[3.12]
- What's the Task Force's view (or views) on the
matter of consortia for aggregating demand, e.g.?
Can libraries and schools enter into formal
partnerships with municipalities, counties,
community networks, etc. and have those entities
be eligible for discounts within expanded
definitions? There's already some case law with
respect to the FCC's rights in terms of
restricting the states from interpreting portions of
the Telecom Act. Is this likely to be one of those
areas? If so, is Pennsylvania prepared to address
the matter?
[1.4]
Adult Literacy
- It looks like it is all but impossible for adult
literacy agencies to align themselves with schools
and libraries in a way that qualifies the agencies
for e-rate discounts. Are literacy agencies really out
in the cold?
[1.2]
- What are the reasons for excluding adult literacy
organizations from participation in Universal
Service discounts?
[1.2]
- What action can literacy organizations take to
affect a change in that situation?
[1.2]
- What would be the incentive for a school or
library to include an adult literacy program in its e-
rate application? It's already very cumbersome.
Wouldn't inclusion of a literacy program make it
harder? I'm not talking about collaboration in
general. I'm referring specifically to the e-rate
process. Quoting from the task force report: "In
effect, (the Universal Service Order) limits
aggregation and shared resources, and limits the
ability to demonstrate demand. Specifically, the
Order prevents schools and libraries from receiving
lower than tariff rates as the pre-discount rate...if
they are part of a mixed consortia containing
ineligible entities."
[1.2]
Discounts and funding
- What's the school lunch program have to do with
technological need?
[3.1]
- If need is important, why is it predominantly
first come first served?
[3.7]
Funding
- How might schools avoid having the E-rate lead to
a fragmentation of efforts that is in contrast to L2L
direction?
[5.6]
- What is the best way to marry erate discounts
with L2L funding? Dollars coming from L2L could
now focus more on material things and training and
leave the services to e-rate. We could use some
guidance on this.
[5.6]
- How does a district deal with the following
scenario? L2L gives a district, say, $50000. They
budget 20000 for routers, servers, and wiring.
They get approved. They also get e-rate approval of
50%. Now they have a $10000 surplus. Where
does that go?
[5.7]
Application Procedures
- I have been discussing these issues with other
schools and they all seem to have a different
opinion. Is there a set way to go about applying? If
you apply with one group can you apply with
another or as yourself?
[4.9]
- What do school districts really need to do to
begin to take advantage of the E-rate in January?
[4.3]
- What is the simplest possible way for the small,
very rural libraries to apply for the Erate?
[4.11]
- Exactly what information and format will be
necessary for approval of a technology plan?
[4.4]
- How long will we have to prepare what is
required once we are informed?
[4.1]
Pennsylvania Issues
- Have the rural communities that were challenged
federally been approved? Wyoming County was
classified as a urban community and by no stretch
of the imagination should it be.
[5.7]
- The IU's direction in e-rate is not clear. If we go
for discounts can we no longer charge our districts
for internet service?
[5.8]
General Questions
- Why is it so difficult? Doesn't the federal
government have the information they need about
my area already?
[4.7]
- Will it be necessary to put out for bid local
services we are now receiving for free?
[2.6]
- Are the savings from the USF discount program
cost effective? i.e. are you going to save more
money than you spend in staff time compiling the
data and fulfilling the paperwork requirements?
[4.7]
- What is planned to help schools and libraries
understand that the important factor is the 'bottom
line' cost, and not necessarily the discount?
Certainly the discounts are important, it's the
bottom line cost after the discount has been
applied to the 'bid rate' that is what is of most
importance to schools and libraries.
[6.4]
- What is to keep the bid rate from escalating for
one or more of several reasons: (1) there is a
significant one-time cost to many providers to
develop and install the necessary enhancements to
their billing, accounting and customer support
systems to be able to deal effectively with the
discount programs; (2) there will be a non-
negligible cost to the provider associated
with additional overhead of related ongoing billing
and accounting (not to mention sales support and
customer service) for discounted services; and (3)
service providers can assume an 'aging of
receivables' (i.e., they won't get their money as
soon, which contributes to additional cost due to the
'time-value of money') since they will have to seek
subsequent reimbursement from the USF
administrator, which will most likely delay
payment to the provider.
[6.5]
- Since the product/service mix between the typical
business and the typical school/library is often
quite different (e.g., not a lot of schools/libraries
use SONET OC-12c/OC-3, or T-3 services), inflating
the bids for e-rate qualifying product/service mixes
is not difficult to accomplish by the service
provider without violating the appearance of non-
discriminatory pricing.
[6.5]
Technical Needs
- How to find experienced support personnel is our
biggest question.
[6.2]
- Expertise on these issues is desperately needed in
many schools and libraries. What can be done to
offer free technological advice so these
organizations make the best choices to meet their
requirements?
[6.2]
- Small libraries need to be shown how to compile
the necessary plan and inventory documents as
simply as possible or they will not bother to be in
the process at all. What mechanisms will be in place
to meet these needs?
[4.11]
- What suggestions can the PUC/FCC/PDE personnel
offer to those seminar participants who are trying
to link up with technical experts other than
vendors? Small organizations (like small local
libraries) would especially appreciate being pointed
toward consultants who are not expensive or who
may come from the business community on a pro
bono basis.
[6.2]
- Is there any plan in place to facilitate the sharing
of district and library technology plans with those
who do not have them. They can be templates for
the have-nots to use in constructing their own
plans.
[6.1]
- What services will be provided to schools and
libraries for that desperately needed technical
support piece? So many schools and community
libraries have nowhere near the support they need
to provide dependable on-line service to their
constituents.
[6.2]
Week Four (October 6 - October 10)
A fourth week has been added to the seminar to allow completion of the
Frequently Asked Questions list with authoritative answers supplied
by staff of the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the
Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.
- Frequently Asked Questions on Universal Service
- Policy recommendations for the PaPUC
