Eligible Products Database:
Further Information for Manufacturers

Software and systems have been developed to allow enrolled manufacturers to submit data about their eligible Internal Connections products. The sections that follow provide details about this process:

The manufacturer enrollment process

Participants in the eligible products database must be national manufacturers of E-rate eligible products, and must have a Service Provider Identification Number (SPIN) to enroll. Manufacturers will also need their Federal Employer Identification Number. (EIN), and 498 contact person that will be verified with the information that SLD has on file. A manufacturer who does not have a SPIN, or needs to update contact information must file a new Form 498.

Manufacturers can check whether they have a SPIN, and the current contact information by using the SPIN Search tool on the SLD website..

• Follow this link for helpful information about completing FCC Form 498.
• Follow this link to access Form 498 and detailed instructions.
  

Information contained in the Eligible Products Database

Manufacturers are to submit information only for their products that are E-rate eligible as Internal Connections. (See the document Eligible Services Framework, available in the Reference Area of the SLD web site, for an overview of products services eligible for E-rate funding.)

Each product entry will include the product name, a product description, and an indication of the type of product (such as router, PBX, file server, etc.). Manufacturers can also provide optional information, including pricing and additional notes. The information is to include factual product details, and may not include sales or marketing statements such as “ideal,” “cost-effective,” or “better than other products.”

The full data format—the field names and field lengths—is as follows:

Manufacturers assign a Function and Product Type for the data they submit. A “function” corresponds to a major category, such as “data distribution equipment” and “telephony equipment” and a “product type” corresponds to an entry in SLD’s Eligible Services List. The fields for Representative Price and Additional Notes are optional and may be left blank. The checkboxes for the certifications (cost allocation, remote access, VPN, etc) are logical. The manufacturer must check either one of the certification boxes, or the box “None Needed.”

Follow this link for a full list of the Functions and Product Types used in the program. Note that a Product Type such as “router” MUST be associated with the correct, Function, such as “data distribution.” Manufacturers should use the pull down menus to set the functions and product types on the template. Attempting to mix and match among the Functions and Product Types will cause the SLD computer system to reject a data submission.

See the Frequently Asked Questions for the Eligible Products Database for further information.

The manufacturer data submission process

Only products eligible for funding as Internal Connections are to be submitted to the Eligible Products Database. The SLD relies on manufacturers to provide a full and accurate description of their equipment.

Manufacturers have three choices for data entry:

1. Spreadsheet template (in MS Excel format): Manufacturers download the template to their local PC and then fill out the required fields for their products. The template works best when manufacturers are uploading multiple products.

Technical note: the spreadsheet interface creates a “comma-delimited file” (also known as a CSV file). Due to limitations in the file format, no data fields may include double quotation marks.

2. Data Upload Process: Manufacturers who wish to directly submit a comma-delimited file without using the spreadsheet interface should follow this link to view a sample file format. (The file format includes specific header information. In addition, note that any field that contains a comma is encapsulated in quotation marks.)

3. Add Product: Manufacturers may add new products or modify existing ones through the single product interface located within the manufacturer interface.

Data from manufacturers need not be submitted all at the same time; multiple submissions are fully acceptable.

SLD review of manufacturers’ submitted information

The SLD undertakes a review process that will seek to confirm the eligibility of submitted entries. A product will not appear on the public interface until SLD review of that product is complete. SLD will not post information that it feels may be incomplete or inaccurate.

In order to provide equitable treatment to both large and small manufacturers, the SLD will review product entries on a first-in first-out basis. Manufacturers are limited to 1500 items posted on the public interface.

Manufacturers who anticipate a large number of entries should consider prioritizing their submission(s) so that the initial records are the most-desired for immediate posting, and/or they should consider consolidating entries so that a single entry applies to more than a single product in order to reduce the total entries. (e.g., a single entry could accommodate both a 10-user and 25-user version of a network operating system.)

If questions arise during SLD review of product information, SLD staff may contact the manufacturer for clarifying information. If SLD determines that it will not post certain information by a manufacturer, the manufacturer will be notified, and may resubmit, or appeal this determination.

To appeal a decision on the Eligible Products Database, please follow the process outlined in the SLD Reference document: Appeals Procedure. To ensure proper routing, please include the following identifying phrase at the beginning of the submission: “Appeal of determination involving the Eligible Products Database.”