Did you know that your organization might be eligible to reduce your data expenses by half? Thousands of eligible organizations in California are not aware of the California Teleconnect Fund (CTF) and missing out on this great benefit available to them.

BetterWorld is a certified and approved provider for data services that are eligible for reimbursement through the CTF Program. We will help you apply for the CTF and save on your telecom bills at no additional cost!

Note: The California Public Utilities Commission is no longer funding Voice Services discounts as of July 1, 2019.

History

CTF was established in 1996 by the CPUC to support universal service and is funded by California State Budget through an end-user surcharge on intrastate communications services. The CTF discount is dependent upon the appropriation of funds within the State Budget and although there are no current indications it would occur, the discount could be discontinued if funding became exhausted or the program itself was suspended.

E-Rate Discount for Schools and Libraries

In 2006, a bill was passed in connection with CTF to avoid a double discount by requiring all organizations applying for CTF that are eligible for the E-rate discount (libraries and schools) to provide the E-rate discount percentage that they already receive, or an average value if they don’t already have a discount.

If your organization is receiving an E-rate discount, you should put this percentage on your CTF application. If your organization is a school or library and does not have an E-rate discount, then you will need to apply the current statewide average (currently 72% through 6/30/12) before calculating the CTF discount. (for example, for a $100 a 72% E-rate discount leaves $28, so the 50% CTFF discount is then applied to that remaining $28).

If your organization is using services that are not eligible for E-rate, but are eligible for the California Teleconnect Fund, you can submit a CTF Eligible vs E-rate Ineligible Form.

Key Points About E-rates

• Schools or libraries should apply for the E-rate discount as well as the CTF discount to determine their E-rate discount amount.
• The E-rate discount applied is either 1) the statewide average (72%) or 2) whatever your submitted E-rate application is approved for.
• The program first applies the E-rate discount to an organization’s bill before applying the 50% CTF discount.
  • For example: if the organization’s E-rate discount (after it submits an application) is determined to be 0%, then a 0% E-rate discount would be applied and the CTF discount would be 50% of the full cost of the organization’s bill.

If you want your school or library to learn more about E-rate discounts, there are ongoing training sessions on the topic on the K12 High Speed Network and application instructions on the US Department of Education site.

Apply for the CTF program (be sure to use original signature, as copies and faxes are not accepted) using the application on the California Teleconnect Fund site. Send application to:

CPUC, Telecommunications Division

Attention: California Teleconnect Fund

505 Van Ness Avenue, Third Floor

San Francisco, CA 94102

Submit Approval Letter from CPUC to Betterworld Technology along with the appropriate discount request form. (You may submit request form while approval is pending).

That’s it! Although there are some forms involved and verification materials necessary to receive the CTF discount, the benefits of signing up if you are eligible could really make a bottom line difference for your organization.

Do you have any questions about applying for the CTF? Click here to directly book a call with our team.

Do you think your organization might qualify for discounted data services from the CTF?

We provide a FREE consultation to walk you through the application process.