E-rate is for EVERY Public Library

I am sharing forward the message below about upcoming E-rate training workshops from Pennsylvania E-rate Coordinator, Julie Schell.  These are typically adverstised on the mailing list.  You can learn more about e-rate in Pennsyvlania at the e-ratepa.org website designed just for Pennslvania.

Fall PA E-rate Training Workshops Scheduled
~ Register Now! ~

On behalf of the PA Department of Education, I’m pleased to announce this fall’s E-rate trainings for both returning (veteran) and beginner applicants as we pivot to applying for E-rate Funding Year 2024.  Beginners’ trainings will be conducted both in-person and virtually and as always, archives of the PP presentations will be available at http://e-ratepa.org/?page_id=745 for later viewing.  Please note:  The PA trainings are for school and library officials only (no vendors), but the USAC trainings are for both applicants and service providers.

Veteran Applicants – Kicking Off FY 2024!
There will be a 90-minute workshop for PA applicants who are already familiar with E-rate (our “veterans”) to kick off the new filing season.  Please join me to learn what’s new for Funding Year 2024 and make sure you’re prepared to file.

• Location: Virtual
• Day/Time: Tuesday, October 24 at 1:00 p.m.
• Register Here:     https://cciu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcldeqrpjwjHNZbjfFjJl2kFq4cWS_kjIWp

Beginner Applicants – Let’s Learn E-rate!
There will be 4 beginners’ training workshops – 2 in-person and 2 virtual (one for schools and one for libraries).  In-person trainings will be approx. 4 hours, and virtual trainings are scheduled for approx. 2 hours.  The only two prerequisites to attending beginners’ training are:  1) you be a true beginner, and 2) you become set up as a “User” in your school or library’s EPC account prior to training and have successfully logged into EPC.  (Only your school or library’s EPC Account Administrator (AA) can create a new User.  If you’re unsure who is your EPC AA or if they need assistance in creating a new User, contact USAC at 888-203-8100 for help with that process.)   Please register below:

If you have any questions about the trainings, please let Julie Tritt Schell, Pennsylvania E-rate Coordinator know.  She looks forward to seeing new and old E-rate faces in the next few weeks!

USAC Training:  USAC has announced their fall training series for applicants and service providers that wish to learn more about the program and how to participate. The training sessions will be virtual, and registration/copies of previous presentations are now available on the Webinars page. The sessions are for E-Rate program participants at all levels.

A note from Carrie Cleary:  Your public library is a community anchor institution; your community relies on your organization to provide high speed internet access to all so we can continue to bridge the digital divide.  If your library locaion would experience internet slowness if a class of 25 students came to visit and were uploading photos, or if 5-10 people were using wireless access to attend an online meeting or job interview, or generally if your small library location has a speed less than 100Mbps download and/or 20Mbps upload, please consider making a plan to apply for E-rate to make increasing your internet speed and services more affordable in the coming year.  If you have questions, comments, or ideas about providing broadband internet service, device loans, or digital literay classes, please feel free to reach out to me and schedule a conversation.