Applicants to the E-rate, the federal funding program that subsidizes school and library Internet-related purchases, are torn over whether the program should continue to fund internal maintenance and network infrastructure projects, according to new survey results from a consultant group.
The survey of more than 600 applicants by Funds for Learning of Edmond, Okla., found that respondents were split nearly in half—52 percent to 48 percent—on whether the program should continue to fund Priority 2 infrastructure-related projects at schools with the neediest student populations, or focus on Priority 1 initiatives that help support projects at all schools to acquire or strengthen outside Internet connections.
