Our History in eRate

Able's history with eRate goes back to the inception of the program when Brandon Ames, our President and CEO, was on the board that helped design the original parameters for Priority Two Internal Connections. Through all of the changes that have taken place since then, Able has continued to be heavily involved, staying informed and proactively addressing concerns, helping schools throughout Arizona make the most efficient and effective use of their eRate funds. We help ensure each district’s fulfillment of long-term goals and technology plans in accordance with eRate guidelines, and our engineering and project management staff are trained and qualified to design and oversee installation of all eRate qualified solutions as well as integrating ancillary, non-eRate items.

In 2006, Able Information Technologies was awarded the Mohave Educational Services Consortium’s Internal Connections Contract; a multi-year contract that school districts can access, along with Mohave’s master 470 to simplify the eRate process. The contract has been warmly welcomed by Arizona’s schools, and was a big factor as Able garnered a record 25% of Arizona’s eRate market share for the 2006-2007 Funding Year. Able’s ability to offer end-to-end solutions with a broad selection of manufacturers and products and our exceptional record for servicing school districts in remote rural areas as well as our more accessible urban neighbors were important factors in the scoring process.

New for 2007, Able has partnered with Strategic Technology Communications, a Priority 1 vendor, to offer coordinated eRate solutions. STC was formed by Able “alumni” in 1999 to provide connectivity services that were not available through other telecommunications carriers.

STC’s first endeavor was to provide point-to-point wireless connections for Bullhead Elementary School District. BESD had multiple campuses that they were connecting with T1’s, and they were upgrading to a VoIP phone system. Their Internet connections were unable to handle the extra bandwidth, and multiple connections were too costly. STC, working through eRate funding, deployed a wireless WAN between campuses, using 802.11b technology and high gain parabolic dishes.

“Having STC as our Priority 1 Vendor and Able Information Technologies as our Priority 2 Vendor has enabled our school to realize the fullest potential of eRate funding. Thanks to their expertise, we are successfully building a foundation for the future of our children.” – James McNutt, IT Director, Bullhead Elementary School District.

STC is easily accessible through their State Contract for Telecommunications and Carrier Services, a multi-year contract that school districts can access, along with the State’s master 470 to file for Priority 1 funding.

STC continues to be the connectivity solutions provider of choice for rural Arizona, and urban districts are also discovering the big services offered by this small telecommunications carrier company. Able and STC have chosen to focus on the educational market because our passion is helping children with their educational development. Arizona’s children are our children; when they reach their educational goals, we all benefit.

Tj Todd
Marketing Expert
Able Information Technologies, Inc.

Arizona eRate Experts

Greetings,

Welcome to the AZ-eRate Experts Blog.

This blog is about the Learning and Sharing of information. We are here to share vital eRate information with you and learn how we can better serve you as a client. We want you to visit this blog with the same purposes. Learning about how to develop your 5 year eRate plan, how to successfully file your paperwork and finally how to get the most out of your eRate funding. We want you to share with us what concerns you the most, what obstacles that are in your way and how we can help you achieve your educational goals.

We've been involved in eRate since the inception of the program and enjoy the process of helping people. For over 9 years we've been helping school districts with their eRate filing process and have become the #1 eRate Service Provider in the SouthWest. With over 34 million in eRate submissions in the state of Arizona last year, we accounted for 25% of the eRate market share. That gave us 10% market separation from our closest competitor.

We understand how complex the eRate process can become and we also understand that you might be understaffed and overwhelmed. Here at AZ eRate Experts, you'll find information that will help you with the inner workings of the eRate filing process. You'll be able to access critical information that will answer your most important questions.

After 9 years, we are confident in our ability to help you achieve all your eRate goals. We're understand that at this time of year, many will claim to be eRate experts. You and I know that performance, experience and commitment combined with customer satisfaction validates that claim.

For us, it' not about the business, it's about the relationship.

Tj Todd
Marketing Expert
Able Information Technolgies, Inc.