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.