Is Melissa C1?

Some recent sponsored content over at E-school News touts in it's headline "a new E-rate funded technology."  And I'm hearing alarm bells.  Let's have a look.

First problem: the small "r" in "E-Rate."  At least it's better than the old eRate, but I'm still going to mangle the name of the publication until they get it right.

Second problem:
"When virtual routers are bundled together with [advertiser's] Switched Ethernet service, this combination may be eligible for E-rate support as a Category 1 service."
followed by a footnote that says:
"[Advertiser] does not represent or guarantee the eligibility of any service or product."

Yeah, they did say "may be eligible," but still....

Is virtualized router service eligible under C1?  Let's go to the Eligible Services List.

That pesky "basic conduit access to the Internet" phrase is still in there for C1.  Back when the ESL was more descriptive, virtualized add-ons were excluded from "basic."  Now the ESL doesn't have exclusions (except when it does), but I still say virtualized routers are not "basic."

Virtualized router service is eligible: "Functionalities listed above that can be virtualized in the cloud... like routing and switching, are also eligible."  [I know that ellipsis is a sneaky change in what the sentence actually says, but it makes a nice quote.]  Problem is, that's under C2.  So virtualized routers are certainly eligible, but almost certainly only under C2.

And who gets stuck holding the bag if it turns virtualized routers aren't eligible?  The applicant.

Saying virtual routers "may be" Category 1 is like saying

Melissa McCarthy may be the next White House Press Secretary.*
*I do not represent or guarantee the identity of any White House staff.

[Think about it, though.  I'd watch every press conference if Ms. McCarthy were giving them.  The ratings would be HUUUGE.]