CENIC Broadband Initiatives

Contact: Louis Fox, Manager, 16700 Valley View Avenue #410, La Mirada, CA 90638, 714-220-3400, lfox@cenic.org

California Teleconnect Fund Program

The California Teleconnect Fund (CTF) provides qualified organizations with a 50% discount on internet access and select telecommunications services. (Actual discounts for schools and libraries may vary based on application of federal E-rate discounts.)

CBI, LLC services eligible for CTF discounts:

• 100 Gigabit Ethernet Backbone

Qualified organizations include California schools, libraries, and community colleges. More details on criteria for qualification and discount calculations are detailed on the CPUC website.

The CPUC recently adopted new rules for the CTF program, which may end or change your discounts.

The following are changes to the CTF program that might impact your discounts:

• As of July 1, 2019, the CTF program will no longer provide discounts for voice services.
• As of July 1, 2020, the CTF program will no longer provide discounts on taxes and surcharges.

SB1102 IMPACT ON PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES

Pursuant to Senate Bill (SB) 1102, CTF Service Providers are required to apply the statewide average E-rate percentage (as instructed in the Telecommunications Division's Administrative Letter No. 10) before applying the CTF discount on eligible services, where applicable.

If you are a school or library and have not applied for E-rate, your CTF discounts may be impacted by SB1102. CTF service providers are required to apply the California statewide average E-rate percentage before calculating the CTF discount (this calculation only reduces the customer’s eligible dollar amount considered for CTF discounts; it does not provide the customer an E-rate discount) on eligible services for public and private K-12 schools and public libraries.

The statewide average E-rate percentage is updated in July of each year. The statewide average can vary, as a result of the annual update. Go to the CPUC website for yearly statewide average E-rate percentages.

Note: CTF was established in 1996 by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and is solely funded by the California State Budget through an end-user surcharge on intrastate telecommunications services. CTF discounts are contingent on funds appropriated and available under the State Budget. CBI, LLC is not responsible for providing discounts in the instance where funding is exhausted or the program is suspended by the CPUC.