The FCC’s Office of Native Affairs and Policy and the Wireline Competition Bureau held this listening session on October 27, 2021 for Tribal leaders, staff, and outreach partners to inform participants about the Commission's efforts to increase Tribal libraries' participation in the E-Rate Program. Participants discussed a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) adopted on October 1, 2021, which proposes to update the definition of libraries in its rules to clarify that Tribal libraries are eligible to participate in the Commission's E-Rate program. The NPRM also solicits input on other steps the Commission could take to encourage and support Tribal schools and libraries' participation in the E-Rate Program. The session started with an overview of the NPRM, followed Tribal participants questions and informal feedback. The Commission was particularly interested in getting suggestions from Tribal participants on how to increase awareness of the E-Rate Program among Tribal governments and institutions so more Tribal schools and libraries can sign up to receive the benefits of the E-Rate program. For more information, see [ Ссылка ]
