The Colorado Department of Education

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E-rate Resources: Public Library Technology Planning

Applying for e-rate funds? Learn more about how to create your required technology plan.

What is a Technology Plan?

Public libraries in Colorado seeking e-rate funds must prepare and submit a Technology Plan to demonstrate the library’s ability to use the requested technology services to improve their programs and services. Applicants that seek support only for basic telephone service do not need a technology plan.

What is required?

All Technology Plans must:

  • Be created before Form 470/RFP posting.
  • Be approved by a USAC-certified technology plan approver (See Submission Process below) before Form 486 is filed or services start, whichever is sooner.
  • Cover the entire funding year (July 1 to June 30) but not more than three years. E-rate funding years run from July-June each year and technology plans should cover the same time frame even if your organization runs on a different fiscal calendar.
  • Contain a sufficient level of detail to validate the E-rate request.
  • Meet the 5 required criteria set forth by the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) under the direction of the Federal Communications Commission (Please download and fill out the Technology Plan Checklist created to cover these criteria)
  • The plan must establish clear goals and a realistic strategy for using telecommunications and information technology to improve education or library services;
  • The plan must have a professional development strategy to ensure that staff know how to use these new technologies to improve education or library services;
  • The plan must include an assessment of the telecommunication services, hardware, software, and other services that will be needed to improve education or library services;
  • The plan must provide a sufficient budget to acquire and support the non-discounted elements of the plan: the hardware, software, professional development and other services that will be needed to implement the strategy; and
  • The plan must include an evaluation process that enables the school or library to monitor progress toward the specified goals and make mid-course corrections in response to new developments and opportunities and they arise.

While you are not required to submit a technology plan for approval every year, you should plan on reviewing and updating the plan annually.

For more information about Technology plans and requirements:
http://www.usac.org/sl/applicants/step02/faq-about-technology-planning.aspx

Submission for Approval Process

All Technology Plans must be submitted for approval to the Colorado State Library. Ideally, plans will be approved before submission of form 470 and they must at minimum be drafted (complete with all 5 elements) before submitting form 470.

  1. Download and fill out the Technology Plan Checklist
  2. Submit Technology Plans (by e-mail, fax, or mail) to:

Christine Kreger
Technology and Digital Initiatives Consultant
201 E Colfax
Denver CO 80203
Kreger_c@cde.state.co.us
Fax (303) 866-6940

  1. Keep detailed records of all submitted forms, technology plan (including theoriginal draft), the approval letter, bidding process records etc. andmake note of the dates that all items were both drafted and submitted. The FCC requires that all documents related to theSchool and Libraries (e-rate) program be retained for 5 years.

For more information on what to retain:
http://www.universalservice.org/sl/about/document-retention-requirements/default.aspx

Need help getting started? Check out these resources

Still have questions?

Technology Plan questions should be forwarded to
Christine Kreger
Kreger_c@cde.state.so.us
303-866-6946

All other e-rate and school library e-rate questions should be forwarded to:
Delilah Collins - collins_d@cde.state.co.us or 303-866-6850.