miamisunblog

OK, this blog is not supposed to be conservative or liberal, but it IS intended to promote critical thinking about education. What’s the Montessori twist? Well, the Montessori philosophy involves development of critical thinking, and stewardship of the environment. I believe this stewardship extends to resources we create, such as government funds. So, I urge readers to think critically on all topics, such as this current topic, which involves education funding, related to the e-rate.

So, I propose we consider that many federal departments may in fact be very well funded, or could perform better if the funds were properly spent, or perhaps funds NOT spent well in one area should be TAKEN from that area and applied to another…. but that often may not happen because some folks in charge, or folks that have access to use these funds, are cavalier about the fact that these dollars are TAX dollars TAKEN from hard working citizens. WE have to constantly hold the government accountable.

So, I propose that any ardent advocate of the increase in the e-rate be equally ardent about cutting government waste, fraud, and abuse. In general, I would say we should ALWAYS tell the government, “If you want more, PROVE you are using what you get now, properly.”

A small example of why we must be careful about believing that every part of a state or federal budget is essential:

Some Department of Homeland Security personnel are given federal credit cards. They are supposed to use those credit cards for work purposes. But it turns out they are also using them to buy a lot of pumpkin spice lattes at Starbucks:

“A House Oversight subcommittee held a congressional hearing earlier this month on misuses of the government credit card, asking why federal employees were swiping the card for seemingly personal things like haircuts, gym memberships and movie tickets.

“Scott MacFarlane, investigative reporter at NBC-4 Washington, discovered through Freedom of Information Act requests, that Department of Homeland Security employees put $30,000 of Starbucks on the cards in 2013. Agency employees spent about $12,000 at one Starbucks in Alameda, Calif., and several of those purchases were for just under the $3,000 ‘micropurchase’ threshold, which means they can avoid scrutiny.”

And yet the next time conservatives suggest the federal budget can be reduced with no harm to essential, constitutionally-mandated services, Democrats will howl that there’s nothing left to cut.. SOURCE: RESPONSE ACTION NETWORK email Newsletter, Nov. 9, 2014

If that’s what they are charging at one Starbucks in Southern California alone, imagine what is happening, in total, nationwide? Meanwhile, what school in Alameda, or somewhere in the USA, could benefit from those funds to improve e-rate related services to teachers and students? If the Executive Branch can unilaterally act in so many ways without Congressional approval, how about slicing those TSA dollars from that So Cal branch and applying them elsewhere in the budget?

So sure, if you want e-rate services expanded, contact your Representative. But also remind your Rep: “We taxpayers are not an unlimited fountain of funding for the government, so choose priorities wisely, and look after our tax dollars!”

Still to come… any other proposals on how to fund the expansion of e-rate?

OK, readers, here is what the FCC says about who currently pays for the e-rate program, and how (at FCC.gov).

Note: the complete FCC.gov posting also explains other details, such as the fact that there is currently a cap on e-rate funding, and that while the cap has been increased since the program’s (law’s) implementation, demand for e-rate funds for qualified recipients has always exceeded the funding.

Who Pays for the E-Rate Program?

Some consumers may notice a “Universal Service” line item on their telephone bills. This line item appears when a company chooses to recover its USF contributions directly from its customers by billing them this charge. The FCC does not require this charge to be passed on to customers. Each company makes a business decision about whether and how to assess charges to recover its universal service costs. These charges usually appear as a percentage of the consumer’s phone bill. Companies that choose to collect universal service fees from their customers cannot collect an amount that exceeds their contribution to the USF. They also cannot collect any fees from a Lifeline program participant.

What I take from this is that the commercial or private consumer of telecommunications services pays for the erate, OR the company / investors do, if the e-rate is not a “pass-on” listed on the services bill. The FCC states that the Universal Service line item is generally a small fraction of the overall consumer bill.

What I would like advocates of increased e-rate funding to do, is to be aware and take ownership of the fact that they are advocating a tax increase and an inflationary proposition, when they advocate e-rate funding increases.

I am not saying the services provided by the Universal Service levy are not worthy. I simply get the idea that often people think “someone else” is paying for the government programs like the e-rate.

So, next time you read your cable or phone bill, don’t complain if it’s higher than you wish. Feel righteous – you are helping the wonderful e-rate program. Tell your friends they are, too. and encourage them to look forward to incrementally higher telecommunications bills … If this remains the mechanism for funding the Universal Services program.

My next post will be… Are there other ways to fund this program?

By the way, though my Blog title is “with a Montessori twist”, I can’t guarantee a Montessori angle on every topic. However, I will pose one question… Will Montessori schools in the future tend to use more, less, or about the same internet service as their non-Montessori school counterparts, on a per child and per staff member basis? what do you think? What does that mean for the e-rate, if anything?

Best wishes, James