Management

Filing for E-Rate? Check This List of Eligible Services First

The E-Rate application process can be daunting, but this list shows school districts exactly which services and products that are eligible for discounts.

EdTech Staff

With the E-Rate filing deadline formally moved to May 26, school districts have four additional weeks to submit their applications.

The extension is good news for K-12 leaders who are still wading through the complicated paperwork, especially in light of the significant program changes that the Federal Communications Commission instituted in 2014. Those revisions included increased funding and the phasing out of some services and technologies.

Check out the charts below to see exactly which services and products are covered under Categories One and Two (formerly called Priorities One and Two), and then download the white paper, "Get Ready for E-Rate 2.0," for more helpful tips.

Category One

Eligible	Ineligible
Services Digital transmission services and Internet access services, such as: Cable modem Digital subscriber line (DSL) DS-1 (T1), DS-3 (T3) and Fractional T1 and T3 Ethernet Fiber (lit and dark) Multiprotocol label-switching (MPLS) Voice services, such as: Voice over IP Local, long distance and 800 service Plain old telephone service (POTS) Wireless telephone service, including cellular voice (but excluding data and text messaging)	Services or Components 900/976 call blocking Custom calling services Direct inward dialing Directory assistance charges Email Inside wire maintenance plans Paging Text messaging Voicemail Web hosting

Eligible

Ineligible

Services

Digital transmission services and Internet access services, such as:

Cable modem
Digital subscriber line (DSL)
DS-1 (T1), DS-3 (T3) and Fractional T1 and T3
Ethernet
Fiber (lit and dark)
Multiprotocol label-switching (MPLS)

Voice services, such as:

Voice over IP
Local, long distance and 800 service
Plain old telephone service (POTS)
Wireless telephone service, including cellular voice (but excluding data and text messaging)

Services or Components

900/976 call blocking
Custom calling services
Direct inward dialing
Directory assistance charges
Email
Inside wire maintenance plans
Paging
Text messaging
Voicemail
Web hosting

Category Two

Eligible	Ineligible
Equipment and Services Access points for wired and wireless LANs Caching Firewall services and components Switches, routers and racks Uninterruptible power supplies (UPSs)/battery backups Wireless controller systems Software that supports internal broadband distribution Managed internal broadband services Basic maintenance	Services or Components Circuit cards/components Data protection Interfaces, gateways, antennas (except for antennas that support internal broadband connections) Servers (except for servers necessary for caching) Software (except for software that supports internal broadband connections) Storage devices Telephone and video components Voice/video IP components

Eligible

Ineligible

Equipment and Services

Access points for wired and wireless LANs
Caching
Firewall services and components
Switches, routers and racks
Uninterruptible power supplies (UPSs)/battery backups
Wireless controller systems
Software that supports internal broadband distribution
Managed internal broadband services
Basic maintenance

Services or Components

Circuit cards/components
Data protection
Interfaces, gateways, antennas (except for antennas that support internal broadband connections)
Servers (except for servers necessary for caching)
Software (except for software that supports internal broadband connections)
Storage devices
Telephone and video components
Voice/video IP components

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