June 2002 Announcements

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

Linda Schatz, Vice President of Outreach and Education for the Schools and Libraries Division of USAC, announced today that, after nearly three years with the E-rate program, she will be leaving USAC effective June 30 to explore other opportunities in education and educational technology.   “I am especially proud of the program improvements we identified with the help of the applicants and their state and national representatives along with the SLD’s Client Service Bureau who has direct communications with the applicants.  Being able to implement changes to make the program easier to understand, improve customer service though the Client Service Bureau, and ease the application process for schools and libraries was very rewarding,” said Schatz, who has dedicated her career to providing increased access to educational technology solutions to improve the teaching and learning process.

“We are truly sorry to see Linda leave the organization.  She has made many great contributions to our efforts and in forging positive and productive relationships with the people in the field.  We do understand her desire to apply her extensive background, experience and expertise to the broader applications of technology to education.  We are hoping to be able to call on Linda in the future to help us continue the efforts she has developed,” said George McDonald, Vice President of USAC for the Schools and Libraries Division.

“Linda has shown great dedication to the E-rate in her years with USAC and in the years before she came to us,” said USAC’s CEO, Cheryl Parrino.  “She has been committed to improving customer service and our communications with schools and libraries, and she has accomplished a great deal.“

SLD’s day-to-day outreach activities will be handled by John Noran, who has been working with Ms. Schatz for the past two years

The deadline for postmarking an invoice (a Form 472, BEAR Form or a Form 474, SPI Form) to the SLD has been extended from 90 days to 120 days.  The SLD has extended this deadline with FCC approval because many applicants indicated that it would be difficult for them to file BEAR Forms for recurring services by the 90-day deadline of September 28 after the close of the funding year.

This extension from 90 days to 120 days is now in effect.  Invoicing Deadlines and Extension Requests posted in the Reference Area and the FRN Extension Table have been updated to reflect this extension.

The information on invoicing deadlines now reads:

Invoices must be postmarked no later than

120 days after the last date to receive service or 120 days after the date of the Form 486 Notification Letter

whichever is later.

If an invoice is postmarked after the deadlines listed above, payment will be denied.

This extension will also apply to Funding Year 1999 (FY2) applicants who received FCDLs dated after April 24, 2001 and before March 1, 2002 and Funding Year 2000 (FY3) applicants who received FCDLs dated after December 1, 2001 and before March 1, 2002.

For these applicants, invoices must be postmarked no later than:

• October 1, 2002 (120 days after the posting date of June 3, 2002 for the original What’s New notice Deadlines Information Available in Reference Area , or
• 120 days after the date of the Form 486 Notification Letter, or
• 120 days after the last date to receive service

whichever is latest.

If an invoice is postmarked after the latest of the above dates, payment will be denied.

The SLD has posted a new document in the Reference Area entitled Audits of Beneficiaries Fact Sheet. This document provides basic information about beneficiary audits, including a partial list of auditable program requirements and a list of the documents that applicants should retain for each application.

A three-judge panel of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania ruled on Friday, May 31, 2002, that Sections 1712(a)(2) and 1721(b) of the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) (applying to libraries) are facially invalid under the First Amendment and permanently enjoined the government from enforcing those provisions. The court found unconstitutional section 254(h)(6), which set out a requirement that a library receiving E-rate discounts have a technology protection measure for its computers with Internet access. Thus, public libraries receiving E-rate discounts are not required to filter their computers with Internet access.

The Neighborhood Children's Internet Protection Act, which amended 47 U.S.C. Section 254 by adding subsection (l), is not affected by the Court's decision and remains intact. Thus, a library receiving E-rate discounts is still required to have an Internet safety policy that addresses: (1) access by minors to inappropriate matter on the Internet and World Wide Web, (2) the safety and security of minors when using electronic mail, chat rooms, and other forms of direct electronic communications, (3) unauthorized access, including hacking, and other unlawful activities by minors online, (4) unauthorized disclosure, use, and dissemination of personal identification information regarding minors, and (5) measures designed to restrict minors' access to materials harmful to minors. Section 254(l) also includes a public notice and hearing/meeting requirement, which remains in force.

It is important to note that the decision did not address CIPA requirements as they apply to schools. Those requirements remain in full force and effect, and schools will continue to be required to meet CIPA requirements as spelled out in FCC regulations in order to receive funds from the Schools and Libraries Universal Service Support Mechanism.

SLD is working closely with FCC staff on how the court's decision will affect SLD's treatment of libraries' discounts. We will post information on that subject, including any changes in the requirements for proper completion of forms, on this web site as soon as it becomes available.

The SLD has created a new title called “Deadlines” in the Reference Area.  Under this title, we will post links to documents on deadlines and extension requests for specific topics.  The following three documents are currently available:

Service Delivery Deadlines and Extension Requests

Form 486 Deadlines

Invoicing Deadlines and Extension Requests

Upcoming Deadlines to Note (FY 1999 and FY 2000)

Certain applicants whose deadline(s) have already passed will receive an additional extension from the Form 486 deadlines and invoicing deadlines contained in the above documents based on the date of their Funding Commitment Decision Letter (FCDL).  These applicants must be either Funding Year 1999 (FY2) applicants who received FCDLs dated after April 24, 2001 and before March 1, 2002; or Funding Year 2000 (FY3) applicants who received FCDLs dated after December 1, 2001 and before March 1, 2002.  For these applicants, the following extensions apply:

• Form 486 must be postmarked no later than October 1, 2002 which is 120 calendar days after June 3, 2002, the posting date for this web notice.  If the Form 486 is postmarked after October 1, 2002, the Form 486 will not be data entered and invoices on the associated Funding Request Numbers (FRNs) will not be paid.

• Invoices must be postmarked no later than
  • September 1, 2002 which is 90 days after June 3, 2002, the posting date for this web notice, or
  • 90 days after the date of the 486 Notification Letter, or

       whichever is latest. 

If an invoice is postmarked after the latest of the above dates, payment will be denied.