New E-rate rules invite a new approach: Managed Wi-Fi

In the Report and Order that rewrites the rules governing the $2.4 billion-a-year E-rate program, the Federal Communications Commission refers to a new category of service that is eligible for E-rate support: managed Wi-Fi, or “managed internal broadband services” as the agency refers to it.

Using the agency’s newly created funding cap of $150 per student on the pre-discount cost of Category 2 services over a five-year period, schools would be eligible to apply for E-rate discounts on managed Wi-Fi services costing up to $30 per student, per year.

While managed Wi-Fi offers many potential benefits, it might not be the best option for all schools. “The biggest problem with outsourcing [IT functions] … is an inexplicable faith in service providers,” said Geoff Tritsch of Vantage Technology Consulting Group. “Too many [schools] give critical functions over to outsourcers without doing their due process.”