Libraries Want Streamlined E-rate Procurement Rules
Representatives of the American Library Association met with FCC staffers on the group’s push for streamlined E-rate rules. The group said it discussed its proposals in the “Delete” and E-rate streamlining proceedings. The Trump administration “has made streamlining procurement a key priority and exceptions to competitive bidding for low-cost purchases are widely accepted and understood [as] part of responsible and cost-effective procurement,” said a filing Thursday in docket 02-6.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
If your job depends on informed compliance, you need International Trade Today. Delivered every business day and available any time online, only International Trade Today helps you stay current on the increasingly complex international trade regulatory environment.
Purchases of E-rate eligible services and equipment of less than $10,000 “should be exempt from Commission bidding requirements but be subject to current local library and school procurement rules,” the association said. The FCC should also permit a current $3,600 exemption “to apply to all internet service providers, not just internet service from commercially available providers, not just commercially available products -- there is no reason to eliminate a potentially cheaper source of internet access.”