On December 31, the Schools and Libraries Corporation issued its fourth wave of funding commitment letters to applicants for e-rate discounts in the 1998 program year. This wave consists of over 1,080 letters totaling $33.4 million.
Although the percentage of libraries represented increased from 7% in wave three to 13% in wave four (compared to the 17% of library applications estimated by the SLC in the 1998 totals), the SLC announced January 4 that it would move to increase the pace of funding commitments to library applicants. In early January, the corporation intends to issue an extra “all-library” wave of funding commitment letters aimed at bringing both the number of commitments and the dollar share for libraries into line with their representation among all 1998 e-rate applicants.
The SLC also announced that its merger—along with the Rural Health Care Corporation—into the Universal Service Administrative Company officially took effect January 1.
Posted January 11, 1999.