Oklahoma Administrative Code › Title 165 - Corporation Commission › Chapter 59 - Oklahoma Universal Service and Oklahoma Lifeline › Subchapter 7 - Special Universal Services › Section 165:59-7-8 - Internet access to public schools and libraries

Current through Vol. 41, No. 20, July 1, 2024
(a) It is the intention of the Commission
				that this Chapter be interpreted to maximize the availability of Internet
				access to all public schools and public libraries within Oklahoma, so that
				children within Oklahoma will be able to utilize the Internet to enhance their
				learning opportunities, thereby better preparing them for the future.
(b) Special Universal Services for schools
				shall include the E-rate Eligible Services List (ESL) for Category One services
				as determined by the FCC for the applicable funding year or, in the absence of
				such a list, as published by USAC. In the event no ESL is available from the
				FCC or USAC for the applicable funding year, eligible services will be those on
				the ESL for the last funding year for which an ESL was available.
(c) Special Universal Services shall include
				the provision of bandwidth sufficient for providing educational services not to
				exceed, without good cause shown, the standards established for the relevant
				funding year by SETDA or successor educational broadband standard including
				Internet access lines, WAN connections, reasonable installation, and network
				termination equipment owned and operated by the eligible provider as defined by
				the ESL that is necessary to provide the eligible service. Student counts as
				reported to the State Department of Education in October of the year prior to
				the relevant funding year shall be utilized for the purpose of determining
				bandwidth recommendations established by SETDA for purposes of this paragraph.
				In the absence of standards prescribed for the applicable funding year, the
				standards for the next prescribed funding year shall be used. Bandwidth may be
				rounded up to the next available standard service increment to avoid increased
				costs to the fund.
(d) Special
				Universal Services for libraries shall include the E-rate Eligible Services
				List (ESL) for Category One services as determined by the FCC for the
				applicable funding year or, in the absence of such a list, as published by
				USAC. In the event no ESL is available from the FCC or USAC for the applicable
				funding year, eligible services will be those on the ESL for the last funding
				year for which an ESL was available.
(e) Special Universal Services shall include
				the provision of bandwidth sufficient for providing library services per
				standards as recommended by the FCC including Internet access lines, reasonable
				installation, and network termination equipment owned and operated by the
				eligible provider that is necessary to provide the eligible service. Bandwidth
				may be rounded up to the next available standard service increment to avoid
				increased costs to the fund.
(f)
				Special Universal Services shall not include voice services that use separate
				lines or have allocated bandwidth.
(g) In no case will the OUSF reimburse an
				entity for an Internet subscriber fee or charges incurred as a result of
				services accessed via the Internet.
(h) The eligible provider shall update the
				OUSF Administrator through the monthly payment process if E-rate funding is
				discontinued, for any reason, within thirty (30) calendar days of receiving
				notification from USAC.
(i) The
				Commission encourages public schools to request sufficient bandwidth to achieve
				the school's educational goals.
Reserved at 14 Ok Reg 2562, eff 7-1-97 ; Added at 15 Ok
					 Reg 1199, eff 1-6-98 (emergency) ; Added at 15 Ok Reg 1919, eff 7-1-98 ;
					 Amended at 16 Ok Reg 2360, eff 7-1-99 ; Amended at 28 Ok Reg 2255, eff 7-25-11
					 ; Amended at 30 Ok Reg 1581, eff
					 7-11-13