August 2001 Announcements

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

The temporary phone outage which we experienced this afternoon at the Client Service Bureau has been repaired and agents are available to take your calls. Again, we apologize for any inconvenience.

We are currently experiencing a phone outage at the Client Service Bureau. Technicians are working on the problem, but we do not yet know when service will be restored.

We will post another announcement as soon as phone service is restored. We apologize for this inconvenience.

The Schools and Libraries Client Service Bureau will be closed on Monday, September 3, 2001 in observance of Labor Day. The Client Service Bureau will resume normal operations on Tuesday, September 4 , 2001 at 8:00 a.m., EDT.

SLD is pleased to announce the completion of the Service Provider Manual. The entire Manual is now available in the Service Provider are of this web site. View Service Provider Manual.

If you are required to complete Form 479, you must submit your Form 479 to your Billed Entity, NOT to the SLD or the FCC. FCC Form 479, Certification by Administrative Authority to Billed Entity of Compliance with the Children's Internet Protection Act, is used by Administrative Authorities who are not Billed Entities to certify the status of the Administrative Authority's compliance with CIPA. If you need additional information regarding who must file Form 479, see the Form 479 Instructions and the Form 486 Instructions.

We have been receiving some Forms 479 in Lawrence, KS; each form will be returned to the entity that submitted the form.

The second wave of Funding Commitment Decision Letters (FCDLs) for Funding Year 4 (the Funding Year beginning July 1, 2001) will be mailed Tuesday, August 7, 2001. The wave will include over 3,600 letters to applicants, reflecting commitments of almost $207 million in Universal Service discounts.

Information about this second wave is posted in the Funding Commitments area of this web site.

This wave of letters will continue to reflect denial of requests for Internal Connections at discount percentages of 84% or less. Approved requests for Internal Connections at 90% discount will appear on some letters in this wave with a Funding Status of "As Yet Unfunded." When we determine whether funds will be sufficient to fully fund such approved requests or whether proration will be required and, if so, what the proration factor will be, a second commitment letter will be issued showing the commitments on those 90% Internal Connections requests. Some FCDLs in this wave may still indicate that Funding Commitments for Internal Connections will not be made below 90%. See the What's New posting for 7/24/01 for more information.

Applicants who receive Funding Year 4 Funding Commitment Decision Letters should read the letters carefully, particularly noting that there is a NEW Form 486 dated July 2001 that MUST be used to notify SLD of Actual Service Start Dates.