Under the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) California Teleconnect Fund (CTF) program, qualifying schools, libraries, government hospitals and nonprofit community-based organizations, are eligible to receive discounts for certain advanced telecommunications services. Qualifying organizations may obtain a 50% discount on CTF-eligible services, which are listed below.
What organizations qualify for CTF discounts on their advanced telecommunications services? Schools, libraries, government-owned hospitals and health clinics, California Community Colleges, 2-1-1 referral providers, and Community-Based Organizations (CBOs).
How does an organization become a qualifying organization for CTF discounts? You must apply to the CPUC for approval to receive CTF discounts. For further information, see https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/ctf/
How does a CTF-qualifying organization apply to receive discounts on Verizon CTF-eligible services? Upon receipt of the Approval Notification, the qualifying organization should contact Verizon at vz.erate.east@verizon.com and request CTF discounts for eligible services.
If you request CTF discounts from Verizon within 30 days of the Approval Notification from the CPUC, CTF discounts will apply retroactively to the date that you initially applied to the CPUC for approval as a qualifying organization.
If you request CTF discounts more than 30 days after the date of the Approval Notification, the CTF discounts will apply as of the date of the request to Verizon.
How much is the CTF discount? The CTF program provides 50% discounts on eligible broadband services.
If you are a school or library that is seeking CTF discounts on E-Rate eligible services, the 50% discount is applied after the Federal E-rate subsidy is deducted from the price of the CTF-eligible service. Moreover, for E-rate schools, the CTF discount amount shall not be higher than the E-Rate subsidy.
If you are a school or library that has not applied for E-Rate on E-Rate eligible services, you will be required to apply the statewide average E-rate percentage (published on the CPUC's website every July) (even if you do not receive the federal E-rate amount) before applying the 50% CTF discount. If you are a school or library that is eligible for E-Rate discounts but are purchasing CTF-eligible services for which E-Rate discounts are not available, you do not have to apply the foregoing calculation. See Verizon's CTF List of Eligible Categories/Services.
| CPUC CTF Category Choices | Type of Service |
|---|---|
| Broadband over Power Lines (BPL) | Broadband |
| Frame Relay/Permanent Virtual Circuit (PVC) | Broadband |
| Ethernet | Broadband |
Broadband over Power Lines (BPL) - enabled Internet access service |
Broadband |
| Ethernet | Broadband |
| DS-1, DS-3 | Broadband |
| T-1, T-3, Fractional T-1 | Broadband |
Integrated Services Digital Network- (ISDN, BRI, PRI) |
Broadband |
For further information or questions, please contact: vz.erate.east@verizon.com
Note: As of July 1, 2019, CTF discounts are not available for voice services and will not be provided on taxes and surcharges.
