Rural Alaska School Districts Seek FCC Action on Waiver Request
The legal counsel for Rural Alaska School Districts spoke with an aide to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr on a pending request for waiver of FCC E-rate rules. The counsel discussed a Wireline Bureau declaratory ruling from last year, said a filing posted Monday in docket 02-6.
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“Specifically, the Bureau found that Lower Yukon’s district-owned, on-campus teacher housing is a non-instructional facility in which the use of broadband service serves the educational purposes of a unique student population, and thus, such service was eligible to receive E-Rate category 1 and category 2 support,” the filing said: “The Bureau found that not only did Lower Yukon have a unique student population, but also … that Lower Yukon faced exceptional challenges caused by Alaska’s extreme weather, harsh climate, transportation and accessibility.”
In December, the group sought a declaratory ruling or waiver on behalf of seven school districts in the state seeking similar treatment. “These seven districts are similarly situated to Lower Yukon: located in rural areas with limited housing options, the Petitioners provide housing to their teachers because they would be unable to recruit teachers otherwise,” the December filing said: “As in Lower Yukon, home access to broadband for teachers is essential to meet the educational needs of the unique student populations the Petitioners serve.”