Minutes for February 9, 2005 Service Provider Call

A.

FUNDING COMMITMENTS

FY2002
FY2002 – Letters in Wave 30M were issued on January 27, 2005; commitments on this Wave totaled $3.3 million.

FY2003
FY2003 – Letters in Wave 37 were issued on January 25, 2005; commitments on this Wave totaled $11.2 million.

FY2004
FY2004 – Letters in Wave 12 were issued on January 24, 2005; commitments on this Wave totaled $117.9 million.

Letters in Wave 13 were issued on February 8, 2005; commitments on this Wave totaled $32.7 million.

B.

APPROVED FY2004 INTERNAL CONNECTIONS REQUESTS STILL AT 81%

FY 2004 waves continue to be issued every two weeks. Approved Internal Connections requests are being funded down to the 81% discount level. The SLD has not yet made a determination of the final discount threshold for FY2004.

ISSUANCE OF FY2005 FORM 470 RECEIPT NOTIFICATION LETTERS

The SLD has begun to issue Receipt Notification Letters for Funding Year 2005 Forms 470. These letters will be mailed in daily batches of about 5,000 per day, from January 31 through February 8, 2005.

You may view a Sample Form 470 Receipt Notification Letter [PDF] in the Reference Area of this web site.

CLOSING OF THE FY2005 FORM 471 FILING WINDOW

The FY2005 Form 471 application filing window will close at 11:59 PM EST on Friday, February 18, 2005.

For a Form 471 to be treated as having been filed within the window, the following must occur:

Form 471 must be completed online or postmarked if filed on paper by the close of the filing window, and

The certification page for an online Form 471 and certification pages for any Forms 470 filed online and cited on the Form 471 must be completed online via e-certification or postmarked by the close of the filing window.

E. 

FORM 474.ASP UPDATE

SLD has posted an improved online Form 474. The information required on the form is the same as the previous version; however, the look and feel is somewhat different. The improved form has more functionality and is easier to use. Following is a summary of the changes:

Block 1, Item 7 – The total invoice amount is now an automatic calculation. This item will be automatically updated each time you complete a new line in Block 2.

Save and Exit – You may now save your work and exit the system without submitting the Form 474. You may then return at a later time to complete and submit the form. To access an incomplete form, you will need the invoice number and security code that was supplied to you after you first completed Block 1. Once you have submitted a Form 474, you may not make any changes to that form. However, you may still view your Form 474 at any time using the invoice number and security code.

Question/Problem – Click this button to submit a problem or comment about the Form 474 to the Client Service Bureau.

Print Preview – When you click the Submit button, the Print Preview function will display a copy of your Form 474. You may print your form at any time using the Print Preview function.

Unlimited number of line items – You may now submit an unlimited number of line items.

Block 2 Line Item Summary – As you add each line item, the Block 2 total will be updated.

If you have any questions, please call the Client Service Bureau.

F.

MANUFACTURERS’ MEETING

USAC will be conducting a WebEx session for manufacturers on the Eligible Products Database on Wednesday, March 2, from 3:30 to 5:00 pm EST. This session will provide an update on the Eligible Products Database and give the manufacturers a chance to comment on future enhancements.

An e-mail will be sent out in the next couple of days with the details. If you have questions or want to be included in the meeting, please contact Paul Stankus (pstankus@universalservice.org).

G.

SITE VISITS

Site visits to applicant sites began on January 18, 2005.

These visits will:

• educate applicants regarding program rules and answer questions,
• provide firsthand knowledge on how E-rate funds are being used,
• solicit suggestions on ways for USAC to improve its outreach and education efforts,
• identify “best practices” to publicize for possible use by other program participants, and
• verify the receipt and function of invoiced E-rate products and services.

BearingPoint, the contractor selected to conduct the site visits, is a global consulting firm, providing services to assist clients with their business process and technology issues; BearingPoint works extensively with government, education, and technology organizations.

The site visit initiative will provide USAC with valuable information on both program compliance and outreach efforts. Under this initiative, USAC will select approximately 80 school and library sites for visits each month beginning in mid-January 2005. The selection will be based on recent invoice activity. As BearingPoint provides reports on its visits, USAC will review the information gathered and prepare and post a "Best Practices" document based on that information. USAC will also take this information into account when designing future outreach and education efforts, and will explore administrative changes to make the application process run more smoothly.

H.

OTHER

Invoice Issues

Service Certification Form – should use the form issued to complete on request.

New Form 474 online

Eliminates the Duplication problem
Features:

Unlimited number of line items
Block 2 Line Item Summary
Save and Exit

Changes in process under review

Duplication problem

Will cancel the items as duplicates
Will give notice on remittance statement
Resubmission will be possible
Extensions may be requested featuring invoice canceled

Processing Discount amount calculation – posted in web notice

Date item line issues

G.

GENERAL QUESTIONS RECEIVED BY E-MAIL

No written questions were addressed on this call.