Comments on: Stage set for bunfight over schools ‘e-rate’ http://www.techcentral.co.za/stage-set-for-bunfight-over-schools-e-rate/12959/ South Africa's technology news leader Mon, 21 May 2012 08:37:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Dwayne Bailey http://www.techcentral.co.za/stage-set-for-bunfight-over-schools-e-rate/12959/comment-page-1/#comment-3517 Dwayne Bailey Fri, 19 Feb 2010 04:28:32 +0000 http://www.techcentral.co.za/?p=12959#comment-3517 Wow I remember meeting people at Dept of Communication who where so excited about the e-rate in 2004. I had serious reservation, mostly around the admin. But strangely it seemed as if they didn't think, or want to think, about the possibility that it wouldn't work. It clearly doesn't work and it seems mostly because of the very entity that was meant to be helping the schools, unconnected and underserviced. So please just kill the beast. As bandwidth gets cheaper 50% of of nothing will pale against the cost of the hardware, maintenance and the staff needed to use the equipment. This legislation was promulgated in an era of very expensive connectivity, that is changing and thus so should the who idea. Wow I remember meeting people at Dept of Communication who where so excited about the e-rate in 2004. I had serious reservation, mostly around the admin. But strangely it seemed as if they didn’t think, or want to think, about the possibility that it wouldn’t work. It clearly doesn’t work and it seems mostly because of the very entity that was meant to be helping the schools, unconnected and underserviced. So please just kill the beast. As bandwidth gets cheaper 50% of of nothing will pale against the cost of the hardware, maintenance and the staff needed to use the equipment. This legislation was promulgated in an era of very expensive connectivity, that is changing and thus so should the who idea.

]]> By: Matthew French http://www.techcentral.co.za/stage-set-for-bunfight-over-schools-e-rate/12959/comment-page-1/#comment-3492 Matthew French Thu, 18 Feb 2010 19:09:00 +0000 http://www.techcentral.co.za/?p=12959#comment-3492 The e-rate was a stupid idea - albeit with the best intentions - and probably set schools back several years. The new version looks like ICASA are trying to dig an even deeper hole. Subsidies will be far easier to monitor, less open to abuse, and simpler for the last-mile ISP to implement. The e-rate was a stupid idea – albeit with the best intentions – and probably set schools back several years. The new version looks like ICASA are trying to dig an even deeper hole.

Subsidies will be far easier to monitor, less open to abuse, and simpler for the last-mile ISP to implement.

]]> By: dominic http://www.techcentral.co.za/stage-set-for-bunfight-over-schools-e-rate/12959/comment-page-1/#comment-3490 dominic Thu, 18 Feb 2010 18:27:29 +0000 http://www.techcentral.co.za/?p=12959#comment-3490 agree - the world has moved on since the e-rate was first announced in 2002. i doubt we will see a bunfight - more likely a wake. agree – the world has moved on since the e-rate was first announced in 2002. i doubt we will see a bunfight – more likely a wake.

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