E-rate Consultant Houston

FCC-Sponsored E-Rate Survey
Harris Interactive, Inc., a national market research firm engaged by the FCC, sent out online surveys last week to a randomly selected group of FY 2008 E-rate applicants. The survey, which includes a number of questions on the applicants, their Internet facilities, and E-rate funding, is part of an FCC effort to address the educational and technological needs of schools and libraries in connection with the FCC's National Broadband Plan.

Completion of the survey is voluntary, but we would encourage selected applicants to respond. Harris Interactive estimates that a survey can be completed in less than 20 minutes. The following is a brief outline of the questions posed in the survey:

Applicant information
Type of applicant, e.g., school, district, library, or consortium
For schools: number of students (and students/computer)
For libraries: number of registered borrowers
Urban vs. rural
E-rate funding in FY 2008
Position of person completing the survey
Types(s) of Internet access connection(s)
Dial-up, T-1, DSL, fiber, wireless, etc.
Bandwidth: current and needed
Equipment used, e.g., PCs, laptops, E-books, smart phones, etc.
Networking, if any, with local, regional, and government entities
Internet usage
Applications, current and future
Barriers to effective usage, e.g., outdated computers, lack of staff training, unavailable bandwidth, costs, etc.
E-rate funding
Services supported by E-rate, with focus on Telecommunications and Internet access services
Funding history and discount rate
Funding received in FY 2008 by category and service types
Use of outside consultants
Although the survey is relatively straight-forward, the following two points should be noted:

When asking about FY 2008 funding, the survey does not clearly indicate whether the amount "received" is meant to apply to all funds awarded or to actual funds disbursed. Our recommendation is to report the amount of funds actually used - estimating, if appropriate, any discounts that have not yet been invoiced, but that are expected to be used and received. The easiest way to review an applicant's funding history is to use E-Rate Central's Funding Quick Search tool located in the upper left-hand corner of the appropriate State Information page.
Individual applicant surveys have been e-mailed to the associated contact people. In some cases, however, these contacts (e.g., consultants) may be responsible for multiple applicants. Unfortunately, there is no indication in the e-mails identifying the specific applicants — a critical factor if the results of these random surveys are to be statistically valid. Contacts in these situations should seek additional clarification from Harris Interactive.