Date: Friday, May 19, 2023
Time: 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. EDT
Host: FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, Office of Native Affairs and Policy
Location: Virtual (Link provided upon registration)

Registration: All attendees must register.  To register, please send an email message to tribal.events@fcc.gov by Wednesday, May 17, 2023.  Please include the names and titles of anyone attending and include the Tribal affiliation.  The FCC has also invited leaders from all 574 federally recognized Tribal Nations to participate in the consultation.  Tribal library, school, and information technology (IT) representatives are also welcome to attend and may participate during the listening session portion of the event.  You may also send any questions to tribal.events@fcc.gov, as this email address is monitored by the FCC’s Office of Native Affairs and Policy.

Summary: The FCC’s Schools and Libraries Program, commonly known as the E-Rate Program, provides support for eligible schools and libraries to access Internet service, internal connections (e.g., Wi-Fi network equipment, routers, cabling), basic maintenance of internal connections, and managed internal broadband service (e.g., managed Wi-Fi).

On February 16, 2023, the FCC adopted an NPRM seeking comment on steps the FCC can take to address barriers and encourage greater participation by Tribal schools and libraries in the E-Rate Program, including proposals to simplify the E-Rate forms and cost allocation requirements, to enhance E-Rate support for Internet connections to schools and libraries, and to allow Tribal college libraries that also serve as the community’s public library to be eligible for support.

The deadline to submit comments is Tuesday, May 23, 2023.  Written comments can be submitted to TribalE-RateNPRM@fcc.gov or in the FCC’s Electronic Comment Filing System at https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/filings/standard.  Please include CC Docket Nos. 02-6, 96-45, and 97-21 in your written responses regarding this NPRM.

Included with this letter is the Framing Paper that provides additional information about the NPRM, and the questions that we kindly request that you consider.  You can also find further information about FCC’s Tribal libraries initiatives and how to participate in the E-Rate Program at https://www.fcc.gov/tribal-libraries and https://www.usac.org/e-rate/ (-> urldefense.proofpoint.com).

If you have questions regarding this consultation and listening session, you can also contact Bambi.Kraus@fcc.gov.