October 1998 Announcements

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

The SLC is moving to complete several last required steps before issuing funding commitments. Recognizing the intense interest in the commitment schedule, the Schools and Libraries Corporation now estimates that it will begin issuing funding commitment decisions letters in mid-November.

The SLC is in the final stages of implementing additional program safeguards as required by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) based on recommendations received in July from the General Accounting Office (GAO).

When the FCC and GAO are satisfied that all requirements are met, and as soon as the SLC gets a green light to begin issuing Funding Commitment Decision Letters, the letters will go out in several waves. All such letters will be in response to applications received during the 75-day window. The timing of SLC’s response to an application will be a function of:

• FCC funding priorities;

• the date when the application was successfully entered into our database; and

• completion of all SLC decisions for a given application, so that a complete response is provided in a single letter.

The SLC plans to provide additional details about the process for funding commitment notification before beginning to send letters. In addition, the SLC staff and board are currently evaluating the timeframe of the application window for the next funding year. The window is scheduled to open on December 1, 1998, and to remain open for 80 days. SLC’s goal is to provide applicants time to integrate 1998 funding commitment decisions into their planning for 1999-2000.

As the SLC moves toward issuance of the funding commitment letters, its outreach to applicants and vendors about key post-commitment steps continues apace. Please see this Web Site, www.sl.universalservice.org, for the latest schedules of upcoming outreach events.

The Schools and Libraries Corporation is launching an E-rate Training Program for Vendors, which focuses on specific aspects of the E-rate program from funding commitments through implementation of discounts. These sessions are designed to provide the timely information vendors will need to deliver E-rate discounts to approved applicants. 

The SLC is pleased to announce that the new forms that E-rate applicants and their service providers will need to implement Universal Service discounts upon funding commitment have now been approved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). 

Please note that these forms (with the exception of the Service Provider Annual Certification) CANNOT be filled out and sent in by applicants and service providers until SLC has made funding commitments for the 1998 program year. NO FUNDING COMMITMENTS HAVE YET BEEN MADE. Please wait until you have received notification of your funding commitment before you attempt to use these forms.

The final forms are:

• FCC Form 486, Receipt of Service Confirmation Form: After applicants are notified of their funding commitments, they will use this form to let SLC know that the services for which they have approved for discounts have actually begun to flow. Applicants will receive a copy of Form 486 (pre-printed with their billed entity applicant name and number) with their funding commitment
  letter. The blank form is posted in PDF format at <www.sl.universalservice.org> in the Reference Area under Form 486 Guidance.

• FCC Form 472, Billed Entity Applicant Reimbursement Form (BEAR): Applicants will use this form to request reimbursement from SLC via their service providers for approved discounts on services for which they have already paid. Applicants will receive a copy of the BEAR form with their funding commitment letter. The blank form is posted in PDF format at <www.sl.universalservice.org> in the Reference Area under Reimbursement and Invoicing.

• FCC Form 473, Service Provider Annual Certification Form (SPAC): Service providers complete and file this form one time per program year to certify that the invoices they submit for discounts benefiting their E-rate-approved customers will comply with all FCC program rules. Service providers are encouraged to complete and submit their Annual Certification as soon as possible. The blank form is posted in PDF format at <www.sl.universalservice.org> in the Service Provider Area. It will also be sent to service providers with their notification of their customer's approved E-rate funding commitments.

• FCC Form 474, Service Provider Invoice Form (SPIF): Service providers will use this form to invoice the SLC for reimbursement of discounts they have implemented in their E-rate approved customers' bills. Service providers will use this form to invoice the SLC on the same regular billing cycle (monthly, quarterly, one-time, and so on) that they use to invoice their customers for the non-discounted portion of the cost of services. Blank invoice forms will be sent to service providers with their notification of their customer's approved E-rate funding commitments. The SPIF is also now posted in PDF format at <www.sl.universalservice.org> in the Service Provider Area. Service providers should note that they will also have the option of invoicing the SLC electronically;see the Service Provider Area for registration details.

Applicants and service providers are invited to preview these forms in preparation for funding commitments, but are reminded that only the Service Provider Annual Certification can be completed and filed before SLC makes any funding commitments. Please watch the SLC Web Site for details, coming soon, about the scheduled release of funding commitment letters.

The Schools and Libraries Corporation (SLC) announces that the application cycle for the 1999-2000 E-rate funding period will begin with an 80-day window during which all completed applications received by the SLC will be considered as if they had arrived simultaneously. The application window for this second funding year will open on December 1, 1998, and will close on February 19, 1999, at 11:59 p.m. EST.

Applying for E-rate funding (officially known as Universal Service for Schools and Libraries) is a two-step process. Eligible schools, libraries, and consortia of those entities first file Form 470, the posting of which to the SLC Web Site triggers a 28-day competitive bidding period for new services (or a 28-day waiting period for existing contracts). After the 28th day, applicants may select a service provider and sign a contract for new services, then file Form 471 requesting discounts on services ordered.

To qualify as "in the window," applicants must fully complete and file both Forms 470 and 471 between December 1, 1998 and February 19, 1999. The latest possible date that a Form 470 can be posted to provide for the subsequent 28-day period and the possibility of successfully filing a Form 471 within the window is January 21, 1999. Posting for new services as late as January 21, 1999, however, requires that two events occur on, and only on, February 19, 1999 in order to complete a filing within the window: 1) contracts for new services are signed; and 2) the Form 471 Application is completed, submitted and received by the SLC on February 19, 1999.

The 1999-2000 funding period will begin July 1, 1999, and run through June 30, 2000. Applicants filing within the 80-day window will be applying for discounts on services that begin July 1, 1999.

The 80-day window for 1999-2000 was established by the SLC Board of Directors to allow schools and libraries sufficient time to plan for their telecommunications technology needs for the coming fiscal year. The 80-day window also provides five additional days compared to the 1998-1999 application window of 75 days. Forms received after the 80th day will be treated on a first-come, first-served basis, in accordance with the FCC’s rules.

Application materials will be mailed to public school districts, library systems, and non-public schools prior to December 1, 1998. Materials will also be available on this Web Site (www.sl.universalservice.org) and via the toll-free help line, 888-203-8100. Guidance documents will also be available via toll-free fax-on-demand, 800-959-0733.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has established December 1, 1998 as the new opening date to file applications for the 1999 / 2000 E-Rate funding period.

This action, which changes the opening date from October 1, 1998 to December 1, 1998, has several benefits. It allows schools and libraries to obtain E-Rate funding commitments for the first funding period, and assess their future technology needs in light of those first commitments, before filing applications for the second funding period. The additional time provided by the December 1, 1998 opening date will also give new applicants the opportunity to apply the benefits of lessons learned by the SLC in the first year of the program. The SLC plans to make available such guidance soon after funding commitment decisions letters for the first funding period have been released.

This decision was adopted by the FCC on September 28, 1998 in the Seventh Order on Reconsideration (CC Docket No. 96-45). As a result of this decision, schools and libraries may begin to file applications on December 1, 1998, for the 1999 / 2000 E-Rate funding period, which runs from July 1, 1999 to June 30, 2000.

The FCC also directed the SLC to determine the length of the filing window by October 30, 1998. The SLC Board is now considering the question of the window’s duration. Recognizing the importance of the window to the planning of competitive procurement schedules, the SLC will announce the length of the window as soon as possible.

A meeting of the Schools and Libraries Corporation Board of Directors will begin at 8:30 AM ET on October 19, 1998. At 10:30 AM (or whenever business on the open agenda is completed), the Board will move into a closed session to discuss confidential matters relating to personnel and administration.

The meeting will be held at the following location:

International Trade Center &
Ronald Reagan Building
Meridian Rooms D & E
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C.