Buh bye

I have plenty of complaints about the E-Rate, but you know what the *biggest* problem is?

The 35% drop in the number of schools and libraries applying for E-Rate.

Where'd I get that number?  Well, Funds for Learning counted the number of applicants filing Forms 470 in FY 2014 at 26,059.  In FY 2019 they counted  16,976.

The count of 470s is not a perfect count of participation, since applicants under multi-year contracts or will only a cable modem don't have to post a 470, but it's a good indicator of participation.

I compared this year's numbers to an analysis I did back in 2011 using FY 2009 numbers.  I looked at how many applicants could have applied vs how many did.  Now I've added in 2019 numbers.  (Call me lazy, but I didn't update the number of districts, schools and libraries; I just don't think the numbers have changed that much.)

		Applied 2009		Applied 2019		Change
	Total	Number	Participation	Number	Participation	Number	Participation
School district	13809	12833	93%	9627	70%	-3206	-25%
Single School	33740	7142	21%	5072	15%	-2070	-29%
Library	9225	3672	40%	1915	21%	-1757	-48%
Consortium	n/a	439	n/a	362	n/a	-77	-18%
		24086		16976

Wow, almost half the libraries that were applying in 2009 have left the program.  I would have expected a bigger drop among individual schools.

The drop in school districts is bigger than I would have expected.  We've certainly seen clients leave the program because the meager E-Rate reimbursement isn't worth the hassle of applying, but I wouldn't have expected a drop of 25%.