E-Rate program mismanaged

An Associated Press (AP) article Oct. 19 reported on congressional findings of mismanagement in the E-rate program which funds Internet connections in schools and libraries, especially in rural and low-income areas. Administered by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the $2.25 billion program is financed by telephone companies through the universal service charge on consumers' phone bills. The House Committee on Energy and Commerce issued a press release Oct. 18 on the report of its Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee which found the E-Rate program "a well-intentioned program that nonetheless is extremely vulnerable to waste, fraud, and abuse, is poorly managed by the FCC, and completely lacks tangible measures of either effectiveness or impact."

Waste, Fraud, and Abuse Concerns With the E-Rate Program
(PDF, 372KB, 51p., from the Committee on Energy & Commerce)