Meter for Education

Use 

more

 of your E-Rate funds with Meter

Use more of your E-Rate funds and find the E-Rate process less burdensome with Meter’s
end-to-end approach to networks.

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Supporter

Meter network as a service

E-Rate funding available for:
Security appliances
Switches
Wi-Fi 6 APs
IDF rack
UPS
Cat6 Cabling
Network Installation
Configuration Updates
Managed Wi-Fi
Network Monitoring
Hardware & Cabling Repairs

E-Rate Overview

K-12 schools can apply for discounts on internet access, networking hardware, and maintenance of the network through E-Rate, a program administered by USAC.

Internet access

Category 1

Building out an internet connection (e.g., fiber, coax) to a location.

Monthly internet cost.

Networking hardware & maintenance

Category 2

Internal Connections: wireless access points, switches, routers, cabling.

Managed Internal Broadband Services: using a vendor like Meter to monitor and manage your network.

Basic Maintenance of Internal Connections: using a vendor like Meter to repair and update internal connections like hardware and cabling.

Meter IDF

How to Apply For E-Rate Funds

1

Competitive bidding

Post your RFPs for products and services.

Step 1: File FCC Form 470
2

Selecting service providers

Review the vendors who have responded to your RFPs and provide an evaluation of selected vendors based on price and other relevant factors.

Step 2
Sample Bid Evaluation Matrix
3

Applying for discounts

Provide detailed information on the vendors selected (costs, contracts, square footage covered, timelines, internet access and speeds, etc.)

Step 3: File FCC Form 471
4

Application review

The USAC performs an initial review of your application and a final review, which may involve follow up questions on eligibility, discount calculations, contracts, and your process for arriving at your selected vendors.

Step 4
5

Starting services

After receiving the funding decision letter from Step 4, FCC Form 486 must be filed to inform USAC that the discounted services you have been approved for have started, and that you are in compliance with CIPA.

Step 5: File FCC Form 486
6

Invoicing methods for discounts

The final step contains methods for invoicing USAC to receive reimbursements.

Step 6: File FCC Form 472

How Meter saves schools 

more

money through E-Rate

Meter falls under your category 2 budget. K-12 schools can use this budget to pay for Meter’s monthly cost, which includes hardware, installation, applications (DNS Security, 802.1X), and management.

Simplify applying for E-Rate funds

There’s a lot of work involved in applying for E-Rate funds – assessing needs, maintaining compliance, filing form 470 and 471, responding to ​​PIA, invoicing USAC, etc.

By providing the handling everything end-to-end (hardware & software for routing, switching, wireless, and applications, as well as coordinating the ISP) — Meter materially simplifies the process of applying for E-Rate.

Bundled products stretch your E-Rate funds further

Meter will buy back existing hardware and then design a network, provide & install hardware (Wi-Fi 6 APs, layer 3 switches, security appliances, racking), monitor & manage the network, and provide applications (DNS security, 802.1x, VPN, dashboards).

Meter install process
1

Kickoff

The Meter operations team will meet with you to plan the installation. We will set a call to review logistics and your technical requirements.

2

ISP procurement

Meter can work with your existing ISP or find the best providers to meet your bandwidth needs.

We’ll negotiate rates on your behalf and handle all ISP customer support for a smooth installation. We are ISP agnostic and partner with every local ISP.

3

Site survey

Meter's install partner will visit your space. They will take detailed notes about the space and existing infrastructure.

4

Installation

Meter's install partner will run low-voltage cabling and install our hardware, which we will ship on-site in advance.

5

Same-day testing & configuration

Once Meter’s hardware is installed, Meter will set up your network same-day and validate it. For a network cut-over, your old equipment will be left in-place until this step is completed.

6

Continuous support & service

Meter will continue to provide ongoing remote support. We will:

Proactively identify and resolve issues on your network

Troubleshoot network issues in real-time

Manage network upgrades and ongoing infrastructure improvements

“Prior to Meter, we were using 5 different providers to handle our network. This was our cloud-based networking vendor, resellers, and third parties to support the network and applications. And we were able to consolidate all of this into just using Meter.”

E-Rate timeline

Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Competitive bidding
Jul - Mid Feb
Form 470
Select vendor
Jan - Mar
Form 471
Services start
Apr - Jun
Form 486
Network as a service

Cohesive networks, not patchworks
Built by network engineers

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