E-rate
E-rate
E-rate Discount
for Public Libraries
Is my library eligible?
- In Texas, a library must be accredited in order to be eligible for E-rate discounts.
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For more information about accreditation, contact LDN staff at accreditation@tsl.texas.gov.
Why apply for E-rate?
- The MONEY! Each year, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) sets aside over two billion dollars of funding for schools and libraries to help them pay for Internet costs. In Texas, a majority of accredited public libraries are eligible for an 80% discount, with over a quarter eligible for a whopping 90%. That means most participating libraries only have to pay 10-20% of their Internet costs, with E-rate paying the rest of the bill.
- High-speed Internet (aka "broadband") has become a necessity in public libraries, and E-rate is the chief means to support and sustain this crucial service as costs rise and demand increases. This is non-competitive funding - a library just has to fill out the forms correctly to receive the discount.
This year, GET FREE HELP, plus possible ADDITIONAL FUNDING FROM TSLAC!
- If you're an accredited Texas public library, you can take part in Libraries Connecting Texas! At no cost to the library, TSLAC has hired experts from the nationally leading consulting firm, E-rate Central, to walk you through the E-rate discount application from beginning to end.
- In the first year of the Libraries Connecting Texas program, eighty-four libraries successfully applied for $607,485.40 of E-rate funding, increasing their bandwidth by an average of 927%.
- Contact TSLAC now to get started: hstokes@tsl.texas.gov
Want to learn more about how E-rate works?
- Please visit Our E-rate Resource Page
Be sure to sign up to the Texas E-rate Wrangler, an email newsletter maintained by Henry Stokes for news, tips, deadline reminders, and training opportunities.