FAQs

Yes. An entity is ‘Tribal’ for purposes of E-Rate funding if it is a school operated by or receiving funding from the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), or if it is a school or library operated by any Tribe, Band, Nation, or other organized group or community, including any Alaska native village, regional corporation, or village corporation (as defined in, or established pursuant to, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. § 1601 et seq.)) that is recognized as eligible for the special programs and services provided by the United States to Indians because of their status as Indians. 

Tribal libraries should be able to demonstrate three basic characteristics of a library: 1) Regularly scheduled hours; 2) Dedicated library staff; and 3) Materials available for library users. Libraries must be eligible for assistance from a state library administrative agency under the Library Services and Technology Act (20 U.S. Code 9122), which can be shown through a letter from the state library administrative agency or through a Tribal designation. Except for Tribal College or University (TCU) libraries that serve as a public library, the library must also have a budget that is completely separate from any schools to be eligible to receive discounted services, including but not limited to, elementary and secondary schools. 

Libraries located off Tribal lands may be considered Tribal under E-Rate if the library is operated by a federally recognized Tribe, Band, Nation, or other organized group or community, including any Alaska native village, regional corporation, or village corporation. 

Under the definition of Tribal in the E-Rate program rules (47 CFR 54.500), entities are only considered Tribal if they are a school operated by BIE or if they are a school or library operated by a federally recognized Tribe, Band, Nation, or other organized group or community, including any Alaska native village, regional corporation, or village corporation. Libraries (or schools) are not considered Tribal just because they are on Tribal lands. 

A Tribal library must have physical materials to be identified as a Tribal library for E-Rate. A Tribal library with only a “digital collection” is not eligible for E-Rate. 

Tribal government entity documentation can be used to establish Tribal status such as a charter or ordinance or letter from the Tribal Council, as well as documentation that shows that the applicant has characteristics of a library, including regular hours, staff, and materials. A signed letter from a state library agency can be used to establish E-Rate eligibility for a library, but it cannot be used to establish Tribal status.

A Tribal library is eligible for E-Rate if a Tribal government entity designates a library as a Tribal library through Tribal Resolution or a similar document, or Tribal libraries may work with the state library administrative agency where they are located. A signed letter from a state library agency can be used to establish E-Rate eligibility for a Tribal library.  

In FY2024 (which begins July 1, 2024), TCU libraries will be eligible for E-Rate discounts if they also serve as a public library for their community, the library must also have a budget that is completely separate from any schools and meet the three basic characteristics of a library. 

A library must be able to determine its own technological needs. However, the Toward Gigabit Libraries Toolkit is a free tool funded through a grant by the Institute of Museums and Libraries Services (IMLS) that is designed for small, rural, and Tribal libraries with limited IT support. The toolkit can help library staff learn about their library’s broadband connection and services and be used to help determine the library’s IT needs that may be eligible to be funded through the E-Rate program. The E-Rate program funds internet access service and equipment needed to have Wi-Fi access throughout the library, but does not fund end-user equipment (e.g., computers, laptops, tablet, microphones, printers, etc.).

Yes. For Tribal schools and libraries, the E-Rate program will match special construction funding provided by states, Tribal governments, or other federal agencies on a one-to-one basis, up to an additional 10 percentage points on top of the applicant’s discount rate and not to exceed the total costs. Here are a few examples:  

• A Tribal applicant who qualifies at the 90 percent discount rate that receives a five percent federal grant would also be eligible for an additional five percent from the E-Rate program.  

• A Tribal applicant at the 90 percent discount rate who receives a federal grant for seven percent of the remaining costs would be eligible for an additional three percent from the E-Rate program.   

• A Tribal applicant at the 80 percent discount rate that receives Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program funding to cover 10 percent of the cost would be eligible for an additional 10 percent from the E-Rate program.  

Note: The state/Tribal discount match applies only to special construction, i.e., the funding needed to construct facilities beyond normal installation charges.  

An applicant seeking additional E-Rate discounts to match state funding for special construction must submit information with its FCC Form 471 that USAC will use to determine: (a) whether the state funding is from an eligible source; (b) that any terms and conditions associated with the state funding are not in conflict with E-Rate rules; (c) the appropriate calculation of the additional E-Rate discount, if any; and (d) whether the project meets the FCC’s connectivity targets. 

For instance, an applicant should be prepared to submit documentation to USAC about the specific state legislation that appropriated the state funds at issue, or the state, Tribal government, or federal agency legislation for a Tribal school or library that has committed the funds for the applicant’s special construction project. The applicant should also be prepared to submit documentation verifying that the state funding has, in fact, been committed for the applicant’s special construction project, and specifying the amount of the commitment and any terms and conditions associated with the commitment. These requirements also apply to Tribal schools and libraries that are seeking matching funds based on funding from a state, Tribal government, or other federal agency. 

Yes. The list of programs that have been approved as eligible sources of funding for the E-Rate matching funds for special construction is available on the Additional Discount to Match State/Tribal Funding for Special Construction page. This list is not exhaustive. Moreover, the evaluation of these programs is based on general information available at the time of review, and final approval for all E-Rate matching funds is based on compliance with E-Rate program rules and a detailed review of the special construction funding requests. 

Applicants, states, Tribal governments, and other federal agencies interested in having their programs reviewed and added to USAC’s State Match webpage should send detailed information about the programs to the USAC Customer Service Center by calling (888) 203-8100. 

Funding from states, Tribal governments, or federal agencies can be used by the applicant to pay their non-discounted share, except that the total support from federal universal service and the other organization may not exceed 100 percent. 

Tribal libraries, including TCU libraries, must provide the total area for all floors, in square feet, of each library outlet separately, including all areas enclosed by the outer walls of the library outlet and occupied by the library, including those areas off-limits to the public (examples include, but are not limited to, space for servers, boilers, stairwells, janitorial supplies, inventory/receiving spaces, etc.). Outdoor space that is used for programming cannot be included in this C2 square footage calculation. Areas outside of the library’s walls are excluded from being calculated in the E-Rate C2 budget. Square footage for bookmobiles is calculated based on the area enclosed by the outer walls of the bookmobile. 

In general, libraries calculate their C2 budget by multiplying their square footage x $4.50. Regardless of size, all libraries are eligible for up to $25,000 over a five-year cycle and all Tribal libraries are eligible for up to $55,000 over a five-year cycle. 

The library square footage multiplier $4.50 while the funding for Tribal libraries is $55,000. As such, a Tribal library with more than 12,222 square feet will use the library multiplier of $4.50 to calculate its C2 budget as the funding amount of $55,350 will exceed the floor for Tribal libraries of $55,000. 

A Tribal library system may aggregate its budget using both square footage and the funding floor amounts of its branches. 

• Example: A Tribal library system that consists of a book mobile, library branch with 4,000 square feet, and a library branch with 17,500 square feet could calculate its C2 budget as $55,000 + $55,000 + $78,750 = $188,750, because the bookmobile and the smaller library branch would be eligible for the funding floor.