Noelle Ellerson at AASA Has Urged Us to Send Comments

From: Cornelio Gonzalez
Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2014 10:11 AM
To: Frances Guzman
Cc: James Mendoza
Subject: FW: AASA Call to Action: Contact FCC in Response to Proposed Changes to E-Rate Program

From: Don Rogers [mailto:
Sent: Monday, March 31, 2014 10:05 AM
To:
Subject: Fwd: AASA Call to Action: Contact FCC in Response to Proposed Changes to E-Rate Program

To: TREA Members

The FCC may make changes in the e-rate which could seriously impact the funds you receive from that program.

Noelle Ellerson at AASA has urged us to send comments.

Please review the information below and respond. It is very important !

Don Rogers
Executive Director
Texas Rural Education Association
The Canyon at Wild Basin

115 Wild Basin Rd # 106
Austin,TX 78746
512-423-0293

512-494-1177 Ext. 418

Fax: 512-494-1188

-----Original Message-----
From: Ellerson, Noelle <
Sent: Mon, Mar 31, 2014 7:56 am
Subject: AASA Call to Action: Contact FCC in Response to Proposed Changes to E-Rate Program

Good morning all

Earlier this month, the FCC released proposed changes to the E-Rate program. These changes have been summarized in various advocacy communications, along with a reference to a future call to action. It’s here.

As part of our advocacy for the E-Rate program, AASA is asking for your help in making the voice of school administrators heard at the FCC as they weigh the pros and cons of all the possible changes. While it is good that national organizations have weighed in individually and collectively, it is even more important that state associations, independent districts and other non-profits reiterate their concern for protecting E-Rate.

This is a very short comment period; comments from the field are due April 7. AASA’s advocacy team has read, analyzed and summarized the proposed changes. We have also drafted AASA’s detailed comments and a template response that we are asking AASA members to use to weigh in with the FCC. The easy-to-use template, once personalized, can be filed by you directly through the FCC or by emailing to me (and I will file on your behalf).

All of the relevant information is in this blog post, and I have pulled top-line information and copied it below:

Timeline:

· Public Notice Released: March 6

· Comments Due:April 7

· Rely Comments Due: April 21

Resources: To support AASA members in submitting their own comments, AASA has created a set of tools:

· Step-by-step directions on how to file comments (see below)

· AASA's comments to guide your response

· A summary of the entire set of proposed changes

· A template response that you can revise and customize to reflect your district's experiences with E-Rate as well as your thoughts on the proposed changes

· AASA's Back to School Toolkit: E-Rate, which is an excellent overview of the program and includes talking points you may want to include in your comments.

How to File Comments with the FCC

· Draft your response comments. You can create your own comments or work from AASA’s template letter (See above).

· Go to www.fcc.gov/ecfs

· Choose “Submit A Filing” and you will be taken to an online submittal form

· For the Proceeding Number, use all of the following proceeding numbers: 13-184

· Complete the rest of the information on the form

· Upload your comments at the bottom of the form.

· If you are pressed for time or need help submitting the comments, I can submit them on your behalf. Please email me your final comments no later than April 6, with the subject line Please file E-Rate comments.

Thank you, in advance, for your help with this request. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Noelle

Noelle M. Ellerson

Associate Executive Director, Policy & Advocacy

AASA: The School Superintendents Association

1615 Duke Street

Alexandria, VA 22314

Twitter: @Noellerson