FCC Workshop to be Held May 6 to Discuss E-rate Modernization Rulemaking

The FCC announced today that it will hold a workshop with stakeholders on May 6, 2014, to discuss the pending E-rate modernization rulemaking proceeding.  The workshop may center on the recent Public Notice in which the FCC sought to focus on a narrow subset of issues raised by the lengthy 2013 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that launched the reform effort.  The Public Notice sought comment on whether to eliminate funding for certain services, promote the adoption of Wi-Fi, and how to streamline the program’s administrative processes.  Initial comments on the Public Notice were filed on April 7, 2014, and reply comments are due next Monday, April 21, 2014, giving stakeholders two weeks to review them prior to the workshop.

The workshop will be free and open to the public, and will also be streamed live at http://www.fcc.gov/live.  We will provide further details on the workshop (including, possibly, an agenda) as they become available.