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 NEWS  News  Media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  TTY  202  /  418-  2555  Fax-  On-  Demand  202  /  418-  2830  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  ftp.  fcc.  gov  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12  th  Street,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554  This  is  an  unofficial  announcement  of  Commission  action.  Release  of  the  full  text  of  a  Commission  order  constitutes  official  action.  See  MCI  v.  FCC.  515  F  2d  385  (D.  C.  Circ  1974). 
 For  Immediate  Release  For  More  Information  Contact: 
 April  13,  2000  Steve  Adamske  418.8221 


 STATEMENT  OF  FCC  CHAIRMAN  WILLIAM  E.  KENNARD  AND  COMMISSIONER 
 GLORIA  TRISTANI 


 E-  RATE  TO  RECEIVE  FULL  FUNDING  $186  Million  to  be  sent  this  week 


 We  are  pleased  to  announce  that  funding  commitments  for  the  third  year  of  the  Schools 
 and  Libraries  Universal  Service  Program  –  known  as  the  E-  Rate  –  will  begin  this  week.  This 
 year's  program  will  be  funded  at  $2.  25  billion  –  the  full  amount  allowed  under  the  Commission's 
 rules. 


 The  E-  Rate  is  a  cornerstone  of  the  Commission’s  efforts  to  bridge  the  Digital  Divide. 
 From  America’s  largest  urban  areas  to  its  most  rural  and  insular  regions,  the  E-  Rate  is  delivering 
 telecommunications  services  to  schools,  libraries  and  communities  nationwide.  For  example, 
 over  the  first  two  funding  years  of  the  program,  the  Detroit  Public  School  District  –  Where  some 


 of  its  students  learn  in  19  th  Century,  coal  heated  buildings  –  received  nearly  $40  million  in  E-Rate 
 discounts  to  allow  its  175,000  students  to  gain  access  to  the  Internet.  Also,  the  Kuspuk 
 School  District  in  Aniak,  Alaska  –  which  is  only  accessible  by  air  –  used  the  over  $400,000  in 
 discounted  funding  it  received  to  wire  all  of  its  school  buildings  and  connect  its  425  mostly 
 Eskimo  students  to  the  Internet.  Through  the  E-  Rate  program,  we  have  brought  to  life  the 
 promise  of  universal  access  to  modern  communications  services  at  the  nation’s  schools  and 
 libraries–  regardless  of  their  wealth  or  geography. 


 Recent  statistics  indicate  that  the  E-  Rate  is  making  the  grade:  x 
 63%  of  public  school  classrooms  had  Internet  access  in  1999,  a  12%  rise  in  Internet 
 connectivity  since  1998.  x 
 Last  year,  82%  of  the  Nation’s  public  schools  and  over  half  of  the  public  libraries  received 
 discounted  services  under  the  program,  with  more  than  53,000  urban  schools  and  more  than 
 25,000  rural  schools  receiving  E-  Rate  support.  x 
 This  year’s  applications  for  discounts  show  high  demand  for  the  program:  it  received  over 
 36,000  applications  totaling  $4.7  billion  in  discount  requests. 


 While  we  are  unable  to  fulfill  all  applicant  requests  this  year,  we  are  certain  that  Year  Three 
 of  the  E-  Rate  will  build  on  the  program’s  extraordinarily  successful  legacy  and  continue  towards 
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 our  goal  of  connecting  every  classroom  to  the  Internet  in  a  way  that  meets  the  needs  of  the 
 future. 


 The  first  wave  of  funding  commitment  letters,  which  will  be  mailed  this  week,  commits 
 approximately  $185.6  million  in  support  to  public  and  private  schools  and  libraries  nationwide. 
 Other  funding  waves,  committing  the  remaining  funds,  will  follow  each  week. 


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