School Internet Program Audit Shows Fraud and Waste

uid0mako writes "CNN is reporting on the abuses of E-rate. E-rate is a government-sponsored program that provides discounted Internet access and internal connection gear such as wiring, adaptors and servers to underprivileged schools. One of the incidents includes $24 million spent on 74000 wireless network cards that never left the loading dock."

Do tell!!!!

[dreamchaser]

What, fraud and corruption in a government run program paid for by the little guy? I find this so hard to believe!

*note to the sarcasm imparied: my tongue was firmly in cheek.

Leaving the dock

[antic]

Who said that they needed to leave the loading dock? Aren't they wireless?

Har.

What was one school doing...

[ArbiterOne]

... with 74000 wireless network cards? Creating an geomagnetic field disturbance for science class?

This just in

[cubicledrone]

Education bureaucrats waste large amounts of money.

In other news, the sky was reportedly blue this morning and there seems to be a large amount of water west of Oregon.

More late-breaking news as it becomes available. We now return you to your regularly scheduled argument about text editors.

Come on Bush!!

[Pedrito]

I think we need to get George Bush more directly involved to find out what's going on here and to ask the really tough questions like, "Is our children learning?"

More fallout from the 80s

[malus]

This is called "Trickle down economics". The Teamsters get the cash, and it trickles down to the rest of us

That's a lot of bandwidth

[Junior J. Junior III]

Never underestimate the bandwidth of 74000 network cards on a truck that has never left the loading dock.

Vi!

[suso]

Vi is better.

Re:I'd say thats fraud:

[Sancho]

The prices probably included thousands--if not millions--of feet of wireless ethernet cable.

Re:Remodeling at ratepayer expense

[Anonymous Coward]

They're doing road construction near where I work. At one point, they put in part of the new road, connected it to the old, and then tore up the old road. Less than six months later, they put road back where the old road used to be, and closed the new section while they extended it. In other words, they tore up road they knew they were going to need again shortly thereafter, but undoubtedly they get paid more this way.

No big deal, where I work they tore up the road to do sewer work, then nicely paved it. 2 weeks later some other company came along and tore it up again to do some other kind of work, paved it over nicely, and then 2 months later a third company came along and completely tore it up to do something else. Then 6 months after that there was an air pipe that exploded underground and closed the road for another 4 weeks. I'm amazed the road is finally now open again 2 years after the first construction began.

The replies in this thread are some of the most...

[the_rajah]

common sense and (fiscally) conservative I've ever seen on Slashdot so far. Refreshing.

"If you are not liberal when you are 20, you have no heart. If you are not conservative when you are 40, you have no brain." -Winston Churchill

Re:Internet in schools...

[Anonymous Coward]

Because I read your post, you have made me dumber. Ouch.

Re:Do tell!!!!

[ch-chuck]

Memorable scene from the movie "Casablanca"

Captain Renault: I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here! [A croupier hands Renault a pile of money]

Re:Do tell!!!!

[Tackhead]

> What, fraud and corruption in a government run program paid for by the little guy? I find this so hard to believe!

Still more evidence that we live in a culture of the people versus the powerful! To compensate for the waste in the programme, and to ensure that children not on the loading docks of the powerful can also ride on the information superhighway, we must double funding for this program immediately! The American people are big-hearted enough to know that it's right to chip in a couple more bucks a month on their phone bills. It's for the children!

> *note to the sarcasm imparied: my tongue was firmly in cheek.

I see your sarcasm and raise you cynicism.

Prediction: We see my sarcastic comment used - without sarcasm - in the John Kerry campaign this summer.

Side bet: After we see the Kerry spot, the Bush campaign uses the same text, but replaces the "people versus the powerful" and "ride the information superhighway" phrases with "not be left behind on the information superhighway".