On October 10, the Library Digital Opportunity team (LDO) held a kick-off webinar with E-Rate Central for the upcoming 2025 E-Rate Funding Year. E-rate is a federal discount program available to accredited public libraries that pays up to 90% of broadband costs.
While that is an amazing benefit, it can be challenging to complete the application process. That’s why the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) offers free support for any library applying for E-Rate through E-Rate Central, a consultant firm that handles all aspects of the application process. That’s right, it’s completely free and the coaches offer one-on-one support.
During the webinar, one of the attendees made a comment about E-Rate Central and Kiel Lewis, one of their consultants he was working with, and it caught our attention. Roy Davis, of the Fannie Brown Booth Memorial Library, in Center, Texas, wrote “E-Rate Central is like a bulldog. That is, they do not give up until your library receives the funding they ask for. For our library, Kiel Lewis was invaluable to help us get through a difficult service change and receive our discount for our service provider. Thank you, Kiel!”
Roy is the Library Assistant for grants, research, and genealogy and was at the forefront of the library’s E-Rate application process. The LDO team recently spoke with Roy to get more insights into his experience with E-Rate Central.
LDO: How did you get involved with E-Rate?
Roy Davis: We had 25 Mbps [download speed] of internet service, which is abysmally slow, so we contracted with a service provider to get us up to 100 Mbps on fiber. Through some snags, we didn’t get it put in in time and we had some trouble getting our discounts. They also changed our account number without us knowing it. We were still using our old account number and no idea it had been changed. E-Rate Central followed through on this problem in August and we finally got our applications in for discounts for fiscal year 2023. We finally received those discounts a year later.
LDO: How exactly did E-Rate Central help?
Roy Davis: Kiel is just phenomenal. For libraries, E-Rate is something that is a headache, it really is. It’s a government thing and there are so many forms and hoops you have to jump through. Without the people at E-Rate Central guiding you and making sure everything you need is done, it would be really difficult. They’ll check everything for you. You can send your invoice and they will see what it says and make sure you are getting the right discount.
When it was getting to December of 2023, we had a conversation with our service provider about our discounts, and the lady there told us everybody had been let go and she wasn’t sure what was going on. Kiel stayed with it until everything was done. They (E-Rate Central) just never give up. We have another provider in town that is new and we’ve decided to switch to them. Kiel told us we’ll be ready for fiscal year 2025.
I always heard how much of a problem applying for E-Rate was. But it’s a whole lot easier with E-Rate Central. They’re just someone who has your back.
“We also have hotspots and will pay for them through E-Rate.” – Roy Davis
LDO: What are some things you would want other librarians to know about E-Rate and E-Rate Central?
Roy Davis: Now we are getting ready for a remodel. Kiel said if you have anything new added, you can apply for that through E-Rate. E-Rate Central is on top of everything: the government side, the E-Rate side, and the library side. They know the ins and outs of what you can ask for and how to get it and they will coach you through every step along the way.
We also have hotspots we are getting and will pay for them through E-Rate. If public libraries provide hotspots for patrons, hotspots will now be covered. The funds cover a percentage of the costs of them (hotspots) and the monthly internet fee to keep them running. It involves formulas and more forms, but E-Rate Central is on top of it.
LDO: Is there anything else you want to share?
Roy Davis: I want people to know that TSLAC pays for this and we don’t have to. To hire a consultant that could help us would be impossible with our budget. We appreciate TSLAC for having this service that we can use. Dealing with the government is difficult. This just makes everything so much easier.
If you want to learn more about E-Rate and Library Digital Opportunity, you can visit the LDO website or email us at LDO@tsl.texas.gov.
