November 2002 Announcements

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

Some documents on the SLD web site are in the process of being created or updated. Rather than post an update notice for each document, the SLD will post a notice each Friday of important document changes that have occurred during the week.

The following documents or pages have changed recently:

Calculating Your Discount in the Reference Area now explains the revised method for calculating library discounts for Funding Year 2003.

Item 21 Attachments to the Form 471 has been added to the Reference Area. This document explains what an Item 21 Attachment should contain, provides sample attachment formats, and details the acceptable methods for submission.

You can now perform an active search for entity numbers using the Entity Search button on the Apply Online/View Forms page.

The SL Forms page now features a link to the October 2000 version of the Form 471. While the SLD will accept this version of the Form 471 for Funding Year 2003, applicants are strongly encouraged to file online or to use the October 2002 version of the form if they are filing on paper. Libraries MUST use the revised method for calculating their discounts even if they use the earlier version of the Form 471.

The text accessed from the What's New Reminder box phrase "You must be able to demonstrate that you have secured access…" now contains a link to a copy of the E-RATE SELECTIVE REVIEW INFORMATION REQUEST. This document is used by Program Integrity Assurance to validate Item 25 certifications and compliance with other program rules during review of select applicants.

The Services Manager's telephone number has been changed in the Cost Allocation Guidelines for Products and Services that Contain Eligible and Ineligible Components

The Schools and Libraries Client Service Bureau will be closed on Thursday, November 28 and Friday, November 29, 2002 in observance of Thanksgiving. The Client Service Bureau will resume normal operations on Monday, December 2, 2002 at 8:00 a.m., EST.

The Form 471 application filing window opened on November 4, 2002. The SLD is providing the important reminders below to assist you with the application process. Each topic below is linked to an HTML document that provides detailed information on that topic.

Due to continued technical difficulties with the online PDF version of the Form 471, the SLD has replaced the PDF interface with the original data entry system.  Applicants who have applied in past funding years will be familiar with this system, and the online application process should now go smoothly.

If you filed a Form 471 on or before November 14, 2002, using the online PDF interface, please read the following points carefully:

1. If you certified your form online with a User ID and a PIN, you have completed the application process and your application is on file with the SLD.  No further action is required to certify your Form 471 application.
2. If you submitted your form online (if you clicked the "Submit" button but did not certify your form online), you can certify your form either online or on paper.
   • To certify online: If you have a User ID and PIN, go to the Apply Online/View Forms page and click on the "Certify Complete" button.  Enter your 471 Application Number and your Security Code, click on "Electronic Certification" and follow the instructions.  (If you do not have a User ID and PIN, but think you may qualify, please refer to Online Submission of Certifications in the Reference Area of the SLD website.)
   • To certify on paper: Print out a copy of your certification page.  (You may have done this already during the application process.  If not, go to the Apply Online/View Forms page and click on the "Certify Complete" button.  Enter your 471 Application Number and your Security Code, click on "Paper Certification" and follow the instructions.)  Submit your completed paper certification page to the SLD as described in the Form 471 Instructions.
3. If you did not complete the submission process (if you did not click the "Submit" button), go to Apply Online/View Forms page and click on the "Continue Incomplete" button.  Enter your 471 Application Number and your Security Code and click on the "Continue Incomplete" button.  You can then continue your application.

SPECIAL NOTE FOR LIBRARIES AND CONSORTIA THAT CONTAIN LIBRARIES:  If you use the Copy Block 4 function, please note that the system will carry forward discounts that do not conform to the new discount calculation methodology.  To review the revised instructions for library discount calculations, please refer to the section on Block 4, Worksheet B in the revised Form 471 Instructions posted in the SL Forms section of this web site.  In order to accurately reflect discounts using the new discount calculation methodology, you will need to edit the discount prior to accepting the worksheet.

The SLD recommends that you determine if any additional steps are necessary for you to complete the filing process by carefully reviewing the Minimum Processing Standards and Filing Requirements as stated in the Form 471 Instructions posted to the SL Forms area of this web site.

If you would like to check the status of your Form 471, go to the Apply Online/View Forms page and click on the "Application Status" button.

We strongly recommend that you review the data you submitted on your Form 471.  To view your Form 471, go to the Apply Online/View Forms page, click on the "Display" button and follow the instructions.

For further assistance, please call the Client Service Bureau at 1-888-203-8100.

800 Service (toll calling that is paid by the called party rather than the calling party) is included in the SLD's Eligible Services List, and is generally eligible for E-rate discounts. However, the use of 800 service to access a school or library network from an ineligible location is not eligible. Applicants utilizing 800 service for data connectivity must provide a certification that access will not be available from non-school or non-library sites. The Eligible Services List will be updated to reflect this clarification.

The deadline for postmarking a Funding Year 2001 recurring services invoice (a Form 472, BEAR Form or a Form 474, SPI Form) to the SLD has been extended to December 8, 2002. 

This is the first time there has been a firm deadline for invoices, and many applicants may have missed it or gotten their BEAR forms to their service provider too late for a signature and postmark by the deadline.

It is important to note that for the new December 8, 2002, deadline and for all future invoice deadlines, applicants must submit BEAR forms to service providers well ahead of the deadline so they can be processed and postmarked in advance of the deadline.

This extension will be automatically applied.   Those who have filed deadline extension requests will still receive decision responses.

The information on invoicing deadlines for all remaining deadlines continues:

Invoices must be postmarked no later than

The new version of the online Form 471 is now available for filing. Applicants who have completed the required 28-day posting period for their Forms 470 may now file Form 471 either online or on paper. Form 471 can now be filed online 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Because the online Form 471 uses a new technology, we expect that applicants may at first encounter a few difficulties during the online filing process. Those applicants who do not need to file their forms immediately are advised to wait a few days before attempting to file their forms online. Applicants who have technical difficulties during this period can call the SLD Client Service Bureau at 1-888-203-8100 to request help with the online filing process.

The SLD is also working on an interview-style interface for filing the Form 471 online. This interface will be especially useful for first-time filers, as it will ask a series of questions and automatically insert the answers provided into the database and then produce a finished form. Watch this web site for further details on the availability of this feature.

Due to technical problems, the online Form 471 is not yet available. However, we are working diligently and expect to have it available very soon. We will post a notice on this web site just as soon as it becomes available.

All other interactive features of the web site are available. For example, applicants can file Form 470 and Form 486; service providers can search Form 470 applications; the Data Retrieval Tool is available.

The Form 471 application filing window for Funding Year 2003 opens at noon today, November 4, 2002. Applicants who have completed the required 28-day posting period for their Forms 470 may now file Form 471.

We are experiencing technical difficulties with the online version of the new Form 471. We hope to have it available later today. We will post an announcement on this web page when the online filing function is available.

However, the interactive portions of the web site - such as file Forms 470 and Forms 486 online, search posted Forms 470, data requests, etc. - will be available starting at noon.

The SLD web site will be in transition to prepare for the opening of the Funding Year 2003 Form 471 application filing window. The transition period will last from midnight EST on Sunday, November 3, 2002 until noon EST on Monday, November 4, 2002.

As we prepare for the application filing window opening during this time, users will be able to browse the Schools and Libraries area of the web site but will not have access to the interactive functions, e.g., apply online, search posted Form 470, deleted 470 applications, etc.

Normal service will return when the Funding Year 2003 Form 471 application filing window opens on November 4, 2002 at noon EST. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and look forward to serving you as the window opens.

The SLD Client Service Bureau (CSB) can now provide certain program information via our Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system. This recorded information is available when you call us at 1-888-203-8100, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Instructions for accessing this information are outlined at the beginning of your call. The information provided in these recorded messages is also available in the appropriate area of this web site. You can always reach a customer service representative, during normal business hours. When you call the Client Service Bureau, we recommend that you listen carefully to the options we offer. Your answer may be just one or two buttons away.