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 Federal  Communications  Commission  FCC  06-  92 
 CONCURRING  STATEMENT  OF  COMMISSIONER  MICHAEL  J.  COPPS 
 Re:  In  the  Matter  of  Inter-  Tel  Technologies,  Inc.,  File  No.  EB-  05-  IH-  0012 
 The  E-  Rate  program  continues  to  provide  the  essential  digital  tools  our  children  need  for  success  in  the  Digital  Age  by  connecting  our  schools  and  libraries  to  the 
 Internet.  Indeed,  E-  Rate  is  a  lifeline  for  the  hardest  to  reach  and  poorest  children  who  are  eager  to  learn  and  at  risk  of  being  left  behind  as  technology  moves  forward.  Like  any 
 great  program,  E-  Rate  cannot  meet  its  full  potential  without  regular  review  and  care.  And  in  this  regard,  there  are  many  who  deserve  credit  for  their  vigilance  in  rooting  out 
 waste,  fraud  and  abuse  from  the  program.  The  FCC,  Department  of  Justice  and  E-  Rate’s  Schools  and  Libraries  Division  have  all  stepped  up  to  the  plate  to  provide  greater 
 oversight  of  the  program  to  ensure  that  limited  resources  find  their  rightful  homes  and  are  used  most  effectively. 


 The  conviction  of  Inter-  Tel  Technologies,  Inc.  and  today’s  debarment  is  further  evidence  of  these  efforts.  Inter-  Tel’s  activities  were  designed  to  bilk  the  E-  Rate  program 
 of  millions  of  dollars  and  it  is  certainly  this  type  of  case  the  FCC  had  in  mind  when  three  years  ago  it  enacted  its  debarment  requirements.  I  therefore  concur  in  the  decision  to 
 debar  Inter-  Tel  from  the  E-  Rate  program  for  the  period  of  one  year.  However,  as  I  said  when  the  Commission  enacted  the  debarment  rules,  “we  need  to  be  dead  serious  about 
 rooting  out  abuses.”  In  point  of  fact,  activities  like  those  engaged  in  by  Inter-  Tel  typically  merit  a  lengthier  debarment  period.  The  Commission  missed  an  opportunity 
 here  to  send  a  sterner  message  to  other  corporations  and  individuals  contemplating  similar  wrongdoings  that  such  activities  will  not  be  tolerated  by  this  Agency. 
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