RITEAF - Funding

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The State RITEAF and Federal E-Rate Subsidies

The federal E-Rate program, managed by the Schools and Libraries program of the Universal Service Fund, makes discounts available to eligible schools and libraries. While the discounts are available for telecommunications, Internet access and internal connections. Our interests, as they relate to the RITEAF program, are limited to the telecommunications lines that provide access to the Internet.

Discounts range from 20% to 90% and depend upon the level of poverty and urban/rural status of the population. The state applies on behalf of schools and libraries who wish to take advantage of both the RITEAF and federal E-Rate program to ensure that all available matching funds are recovered.

Successful applications to the Schools and Libraries Program (E-Rate) depend on meeting program requirements. Participating schools and libraries are required to provide evidence that additional resources such as end-user equipment, appropriate software, and professional development have been provided locally so that the connectivity subsidized by the E-Rate program can be effectively utilized. Continuous planning should take the form of budgets and inventories illustrating local investments as well as narrative descriptions of instructional and administrative activities taking place in the schools.

Telecommunications lines requested from the RI Department of Education by each district establish the total demand in each program year. [See additional information about the Bid Process and Capacity Requirements] The “Impact Statement: the RITEAF and E-Rate Awards” table from the current year shows how the funding subsidized by the E-Rate program is determined by the level of poverty calculated for individual districts, which in turn determines the level of subsidy provided by the RITEAF program. In the program year illustrated, the E-Rate aggregate subsidy for all RI schools and libraries was calculated to be 56%.

RITEAF Funding FAQs

 What lines were awarded to districts?

 What do the lines costs?