March 1999 Announcements

Please click on the topic below to view the most recent announcements:

Are you preparing to send in your Form 471 to the SLD?  Make sure to review this helpful document, which describes the 12 most common mistakes we've seen on the Form 471--and provides helpful tips on how to avoid these mistakes. Click here to view  "Form 471: The Dirty Dozen".

DON’T FORGET!! THE APPLICATION WINDOW CLOSES AT 11:59 EST ON APRIL 6! To be counted "in the window," you must file your Form 471 (with all its necessary attachments and certifications) so that it is received by SLD by the window closing.

If you have submitted a Service Provider Invoice Form (Form 474) more than forty days ago and have not received payment on that invoice and have not heard from the SLD, you can inquire about the status of that invoice by calling (973) 428-7335 Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. EST.

Questions on how to complete the Service Provider Invoice Form (Form 474) should be directed to the SLD help line at (888) 203-8100.

If you have submitted a Billed Entity Applicant Reimbursement (BEAR) Form (Form 472) more than forty days ago and have not received a BEAR notification letter and have not heard from the SLD, you can inquire about the status of that BEAR by calling (973) 428-7335 Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. EST.

Questions on how to complete the Billed Entity Applicant Reimbursement form (Form 472) should be directed to the SLD help line at (888) 203-8100.

While we're all focused on making Year 2 of the E-rate a resounding success, the Schools and Libraries Division (SLD) is also planning ahead for Year 3.  And we need your help.

Year 3 represents our first real opportunity to make significant changes in the way the program operates, from the design of the application forms to the timing of each step in the process, from our customer service operation to the ways we communicate with you.

We have convened a special Task Force of representatives from the school, library and service provider communities to consider all these issues and develop recommendations for Year 3 and beyond.  We want to include your advice as well.

Please share your thoughts with us about the MOST IMPORTANT change you would like to see us make for Year 3.  We know many of you have lots of concerns and many suggestions, but knowing your most urgent priority for change will help us focus on what matters most.

Send your MOST IMPORTANT suggestion for Year 3 via E-mail to comments@universalservice.org.
Please put "YEAR 3!" in the subject line so we can immediately route it for consideration by the Task Force.

Then keep watching the Web Site (www.sl.universalservice.org) for more about the Task Force recommendations and the SLD's plans for improvement for Year 3.  Thank you for helping us to serve you better.

Responding to concerns raised by schools and libraries that they would be unable to complete installation of internal connections by June 30, 1999, the Federal Communications Commission voted today to extend the deadline for using E-rate funds until September 30, 1999, the Schools and Libraries Division (SLD) of the Schools & Libraries (USAC) announced today. The Commission extended the deadline to "ensure that schools and libraries have sufficient time to use universal service support that was approved in the first funding year for nonrecurring service such as installation of internal connections."

The Commission also addressed the situation of applicants whose contracts for telecommunications services and Internet access expired before Dec. 31, 1998, voting to permit them to extend or renew existing contracts through June 30, 1999, thus making them eligible for an additional six months of funding commitments.

In another important move, the Commission ruled that during the appeals process, the SLD can proceed with disbursing approved funds while an appeal is being reviewed. Existing rules had the unintended effect of preventing the SLD from disbursing any funds during an appeal.

Finally, the FCC also acted to affirm that when sufficient funds are not available to fund all internal connection requests, funds for discounts are to be allocated beginning with applicants at the ninety percent discount level and then -- to the extent funds remain -- to applicants at each descending single discount percentage.

"Today’s actions by the Commission are good news for E-rate applicants," said Kate L. Moore, President of USAC’s Schools and Libraries Division. "Now schools and libraries will have more time to establish the vital links between learners and the Internet, while we continue to put the neediest children first."

The SLD is working on a comprehensive update to the Eligible Services List posted to the SLD Web Site <www.sl.universalservice.org/reference/471_App_Guid_Docs/471Oreliglist.asp> and is sending out this Newsflash as an interim step to inform our applicant and service provider clients of this important information. Please note that the Eligible Services List DOES NOT YET FEATURE this updated information.  Click here to view the items that will be incorporated into the updated Eligible Services List (and posted to this Web Site) in the near future. Please remember that you should not assume that any item not on the List is eligible for discounts.

Schools and libraries nationwide have submitted nearly 36,500 initial applications for E-rate funds in 1999-2000, the second year of the program to bring modern telecommunications and information services to every classroom and library in the country, the Schools and Libraries Division (SLD) of the Schools & Libraries (USAC) announced today. The total represents a slight increase over the first year, when about 36,250 initial applications were filed. "These applications demonstrate the continuing demand for universal access to the world of information and ideas available on the Internet," says SLD President Kate L. Moore, who noted that 84% of the Year Two FCC Form 470 applications were filed online.

The application window for completing the two-stage filing process closes on April 6. Due to the requirement for a 28-day waiting period between the initial filing (Form 470) and the second filing (FCC Form 471), the Form 470 window closed March 9.

From Akiachak, Alaska to Thermopolis, Wyoming, from Pascagoula, Mississippi to Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin, and from Los Angeles to Chicago to New York, schools and libraries in communities of all sizes across the country are already using $1.66 billion in Year One E-rate funds to move into the Information Age, rapidly advancing the goal of wiring every classroom and library by next year.

The SLD also announced today that General Counsel Debra Kriete is joining the law firm of Wolf, Block, Schorr and Solis-Cohen, LLP to pursue new professional opportunities. "As founding General Counsel, Debra’s contributions to the E-rate program have been incalculable," said SLD President Kate L. Moore. "Her program expertise, commitment to the successful launch of the E-rate, and wise counsel have served every member of the diverse E-rate community. We are very pleased that we will continue to benefit from her knowledge in her new capacity as outside counsel."

The E-rate account of the Universal Service Fund, established by a bipartisan act of Congress in the Telecommunications Act of 1996 with the Snowe-Rockefeller-Exon-Kerrey amendment, provides 20% to 90% discounts on telecommunications services, Internet access and internal connections for schools and libraries. The Universal Service Fund is administered by USAC, and includes the Rural Healthcare and High Cost/Low-Income divisions along with the Schools and Libraries Division. While the FCC determines the fund level for each funding year, the annual cap on the E-rate fund is $2.25 billion.

The SLD has made several important enhancements to the "Form 470 Search Posted" features available in both the Schools and Libraries Area and the Service Provider Area www.sl.universalservice.org/forms/search.asp.

For Applicants:

• We've added detailed instructions on how to enter search criteria for a successful search.

For Service Providers:

• The Search Function in the Service Provider Area now includes both pre-existing AND existing contracts. This means that a Form 470 Search in both areas of the Web Site will yield the same results.

• Now you may indicate how many search results you would like to display on each page. We've also added a feature that allows you to navigate between pages of search results.  (This will be particularly useful for service providers that monitor the Web Site on a daily basis for newly posted Forms 470.)
  

• Finally, we've added a "Return to Search Results" button to the screen that displays each Form 470. This allows you to easily return to your list of Forms 470 without using the browser's "Forward" and "Backward" buttons.

How to Avoid the Form 471 "Dirty Dozen"

If you are gearing up to file your Form 471 before the window closes on April 6, 1999, you can’t afford to miss this special Schools and Libraries Division videoconference focusing on the twelve most common mistakes applicants make on Form 471-and how NOT to make them on YOUR application. Learn how to avoid the errors that get your application summarily rejected, land you in Problem Resolution, or result in denial of funding for some or all of your E-rate requests.

• Step-by-step advice on how to file a clean Form 471
  

• Special help with common Form 471 "trouble spots"
  

• Tips for using the SLD Web Site
  

• News and updates from Years 1 AND 2
  

• Real-time answers to your faxed-in questions

• Webcast: www.doe.state.in.us/sld

  Many thanks to Dr. Suellen Reed, Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the techno-wizards at the Indiana State Department of Education (especially Mike Huffman) for hosting our first videoconference Webcast.

  To participate in the Webcast, you will need to download the free Real Player software (available at Real Networks, www.real.com). Then you can log onto the www.doe.state.in.us/sld site for  viewing the videoconference

All in the E-rate community are invited to downlink this videoconference and tape, rebroadcast, or otherwise distribute free of charge. Those unable to downlink may request a free-loan videotape of the broadcast by emailing jjones@universalservice.org. Because of limited supplies, the broadcast videotapes will be loaned on a first-come, first-served basis.

DON’T FORGET!! THE APPLICATION WINDOW CLOSES AT 11:59 EST ON APRIL 6! To be counted "in the window," you must file your Form 471 (with all its necessary attachments and certifications) so that it is received by SLD by the window closing.

The Schools and Libraries Division Web Site is accessible by users of all platforms, browsers, and operating systems. Every area of the site-- except for one pilot interactive application – is designed to work with both Macs and PCs using a variety of browsers and system software.

Regardless of what kind of computer you use, you can access the SLD Web Site to read the latest news and updates, download all of our application forms (or use our type-in/print-out forms), check out who got funded for what in 1998, search for a service provider contact name, and file an online Form 470 application, among other things.

Our online Form 471 application was launched this program year as a pilot, with very specific platform, operating system, and browser specifications. (Click here for more information about the technical requirements for using the pilot online Form 471 application.) The strict technical specifications of the pilot in no way constitute an endorsement of a particular product or technology. We are committed to providing access to our Web Site for the broadest spectrum of users, and are actively working to broaden the reach of the Form 471 online application. The experience of those who use the 1999-2000 version will help shape the online options for 2000-2001.

With the release of Wave 10 on February 27, the Schools and Libraries Division records show that all 1998 "in the window" applicants have now been sent an official response from us – either a commitment of funds or, regrettably, a denial of funding. (Please note that applicants in the "zero funding" category are NOT listed on our Web site.) In addition, those schools, libraries, and consortia whose applications arrived April 16-19 (just outside the 1998 application window) have now been notified that we will not be able to consider their applications. Similar letters are in process for those whose requests arrived later in the year.

If you filed a Form 471 in 1998, have reason to believe that your application arrived by April 15, and have no record of a response from us, our Client Service Bureau staff stands ready to help determine the status of your application. Simply call the CSB help line at 888-203-8100 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, and have ready:

• A copy of your Form 471.

• Any records demonstrating delivery of your Form 471 to Iowa City, Iowa, during the 1998 application period, such as postal and/or express delivery receipts.

• Any documentation of contact with our Problem Resolution or Program Integrity Assurance staff (such as faxes, letters, or phone messages) during the application review process.

If there is any indication that your application was actually received, our staff will inform you of its recorded status in our data base, provide you with replacement copies of any correspondence you should have received.  If, on the other hand, you have no documentation, we may not be able to determine why your application is missing, except that to confirm that it was never received by us.  Our Client Service Bureau staff can make sure you are aware of the procedures for filing an appeals if you feel one is warranted.

Now that the last wave of 1998 funding commitment letters have been made, the Schools and Libraries Division (SLD) has begun focusing significant resources on the appeals process.  If you are among the small number of applicants (fewer than 4% so far) who disagree with a funding decision and wish to appeal it, please note the following:

1. All appeals must be made in writing within 30 days of issuance of your funding commitment decisions letter.  The address for appeals is Letter of Appeal, Schools and Libraries Division, Box 125-Correspondence Unit, 100 S. Jefferson Road, Whippany, NJ 07981.  Appeals cannot be submitted via fax or E-mail.

2. Directions for how to file an appeal are available on the SLD Web Site (http://www.sl.universalservice.org/reference/appeals.asp) or via toll-free fax on demand (800-959-0733, Document #511).

3. We have established a contingency fund to accommodate funding commitments resulting from successful appeals.

4. According to current FCC rules, no funds may be expended for a particular line-item funding request (designated by a Funding Request Number or FRN) while it is under appeal.  For example, if the SLD provides a funding commitment to you for an FRN at an 80% discount, but you believe you are entitled to a 90% discount and file an appeal on that basis, we will not be able to pay any invoices on that FRN while your appeal is pending.  The SLD has filed an ex Parte with the FCC to flag the operational impact of this rule, bearing in mind the burden this may pose on the client for a mistake we might have made.

5. When you submit an appeal, you will receive an acknowledgement notice from us.  Your appeal will then be handled as quickly as possible.  Our goal is to reach a decision on each appeal within 45 days of receiving it.

6. If you have questions about how to file an appeal, please call our help line at 888-203-8100.

To successfully file Form 471 online for 1999-2000, applicants will need the following technologies:

• Computer: PC (Intel-based or IBM compatible), 486 or higher

• Operating system: Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT or higher

• Browser: Internet Explorer 4.0, Version 4.71 (with capability for running Visual Basic scripts).  (Note: To determine which version of Internet Explorer you have, click "Help" at the top of your browser, then click "About Internet Explorer.")

During this pilot year, the online version of Form 471 will NOT be available to applicants using:

• Macintosh computers or other non-PC (Intel/IBM-compatible) computers

• Non-Internet Explorer browsers such as Netscape

• Versions of Internet Explorer earlier than IE 4.0 / V 4.71 or versions of I.E. 5.0

ALTERNATIVES FOR FILING FORM 471

Applicants who cannot or choose not to file Form 471 online can still download/print a hard copy of the form and instructions from the SLD Web Site (www.sl.universalservice.org/Reference/471ORtoc.asp), or may call 888/203-8100 to request a copy of the form by mail. Applicants are also encouraged to monitor the Web Site and SLD fax-on-demand service (800/959-0733) for updates, guidance, and helpful hints for filing their Form 471.

If you are an E-rate applicant hoping to complete your 1999-2000 application within the application window, SLD reminds you to file your Form 470 so that it is posted on the Web site no later than midnight Friday, March 5, 1999.

Your Form 470 must be posted for at least 28 days before you can file Form 471. The deadline for filing Form 471, and thus completing your application within the window, is 11:59 p.m. ET on April 6, 1999. Filing your Form 470 so that it is posted on the Web Site on March 5, 1999, will allow you just enough time to finalize your procurement process, complete and certify Form 471, and submit it so that it and the required attachments, are received within the window.

PLEASE BE SMART! File your Form 470 online at www.sl.universalservice.org/menu.asp if you possibly can—this provides for immediate posting. (Remember that you will then need to mail in your printed-out, signed Block 6 certification as soon as possible after you complete the online application, but these certifications will be accepted even after our March Form 470 deadline.)

If you file on paper, we cannot guarantee that your Form 470 can be posted right away if your application is complex or requires problem resolution.  If the Form 470 is not posted by March 9, you will have missed the window.

The Web site is open to receive your online application from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. ET seven days a week, and our telephone help line staff is available from 8 a.m. to 8p.m. ET Monday through Friday. If you have not already done so, please file your online Form 470 NOW - and many thanks to the 32,000 E-rate applicants who have already filed Form 470!

At the request of both service providers and funded applicants, the Schools and Libraries Division (SLD) will be accepting Billed Entity Applicant Reimbursement (BEAR) Forms for reimbursement of discounts on bills paid in full through the end of the first program year.   Previously, the BEAR Form (FCC Form 472) was intended to provide coverage only through December 31, 1998.  Click here for more information.

To make SLD commitment information more accessible, the SLD is providing cumulative 1998 funding reports for each state/territory in this section of the Web Site. This data is inclusive of Wave 10, the final wave. This information can be downloaded and sorted in ways most useful to you. 

Click here for national statistics on 1998 Funding Commitments.  The statistics include:

• Total Dollars Committed Nationally and for each State

• National Analysis by Applicant Type

• National Analysis by Service/Discount Band

• National Urban/Rural Analysis