The State Department of Education (SDE) Broadband Program is responsible for reimbursing Idaho’s E-rate eligible entities for the remaining portion of eligible broadband costs after their E-rate discount is applied.

The Broadband Program compiles and analyzes broadband utilization data from entities receiving reimbursement for broadband services. This analysis is used to forecast budget requests and help entities determine their broadband needs.



Please review the Broadband Program Policy and Procedures here.


STEP 1: Receive a Funding Commitment Letter for E-rate eligible services.

  • Internet Access/Transmission, or Category 1
  • Category 2 funding requests, such as Wi-Fi access points or managed services just content filtering, are not eligible for reimbursement

STEP 2: Contact the broadband program coordinator and provide the following:

  • Signed copy of contracts of eligible services and relevant documents
  • Technical contact to maintain utilization monitoring with SDE staff.

    (For more information about utilization monitoring, please review the Program Policies and Procedures, or contact the program coordinator).


STEP 3: Provide eligible invoices to program coordinator for reimbursement.

  • State reimbursements are issued twice per year (December and June).
  • Participating schools will be contacted in November and May to provide eligible invoices.
Recommended Bandwidth For LEAs by User Count
User Count (Students + Staff) as reported in ISEE Recommended Bandwidth
499 Users or below Minimum: 100 Mbps
Maximum: Up to 1 Gbps if the monthly cost is:
1) equal to or less than $2,000/mo, AND
2) equal to or less than $2.00 per Mbps
At least 500 Minimum: 1 Gbps
Maximum: Up to 1 Gbps
At least 1,500 Minimum: 1 Gbps
Maximum: Up to 2 Gbps
At least 3,000 Minimum: 1 Gbps
Maximum: Up to 5 Gbps
At least 6,000 Minimum: 1 Gbps
Maximum: Up to 10 Gbps, or 1Mbps/User
At least 15,000 Minimum: 1 Gbps
Maximum: Up to 20 Gbps, or 1 Mbps/User
At least 35,000 Minimum: 1 Gbps
Maximum: Up to 40 Gbps, or 1 Mbps/User

Idaho Code §33-910(1) created the Broadband Infrastructure Improvement Grant (BIIG) Fund. Monies from this fund are available to be distributed by SDE to provide state matching funds for eligible special construction projects to deploy new fiber (or fiber-equivalent) for high-speed broadband.

As of January 13th, 2022, the Education Opportunity Resource Committee is comprised of the following individuals in each role as listed in Idaho Code §33-5603:

  • Chris Campbell
    • Representative of State Board of Education
    • Committee Chairman
    • Chief Technology Officer
  • Daniel Vogt
    • Designee of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction
    • Committee Vice-Chair
    • E-rate and Broadband Program Coordinator
  • Shawn Tiegs
    • Superintendent representing small schools (Fewer than 1,000 students)
    • Nez Perce School District #302
  • David Carson
    • Superintendent representing medium schools (Between 1,000 and 4,999 students)
    • Buhl School District #412
  • Scott Wolstenhume
    • Superintendent representing large schools (5,000 students or greater)
    • Bonneville School District #93
  • Stephanie Bailey-White
    • State Librarian
    • Idaho Commission for Libraries
  • Seth Deniston
    • IETA Appointee #1
    • Director of Technology at Coeur d’Alene School District #271
  • Dan Smith
    • IETA Appointee #2
    • Director of Technology, Kendrick School District #283

Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions
BIIG
EORC

Training Resources

No content available.