In Penn Hills, public library Director Ed Mandell said it wasn't worth it for them to apply separately for their phone bills. He said the phone charges are intermingled with the municipality's phone bill, making it difficult to meet E-rate bidding requirements. This included wiring about 30 buildings a year, adding routers and servers and purchasing more phone and Internet service, all which can be partially reimbursed by the E-rate. Pittsburgh schools' potential reimbursement rate, which is based on the number of low-income students, ranges from 60 percent to 90 percent, depending on the building. The systemwide rate is 76 percent.
Some schools have simpler applications.
Its initial funds decreased the school's phone bill enough to buy one computer, said Marian Wilson, principal of the middle and upper levels. She estimated she spent about six hours figuring out how to apply, but said her task was easier because she was dealing with phone and Internet charges, not wiring and equipment as Pittsburgh schools did. Among the first on the Internet when the E-rate Web site opened for business in its first year was Joseph Marrone, technology director in the Quaker Valley School District. He came to work at 2 and 3 in the morning just to get onto the overloaded Web site. He filed applications repeatedly when the first one wasn't received or the rules changed.