June 2003 Announcements

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

Today, the FCC issued Public Notice DA 03-2117 on the status of CIPA filtering rules for libraries following the recent Supreme Court decision.

View the Public Notice [PDF format; 91kb].

Today the SLD issued Funding Commitment Decision Letters (FCDLs) for Funding Year 2002 Wave 30. This will be the last regular biweekly wave for FY 2002. In Wave 30, the SLD denied funding requests for Internal Connections at the 80% level.

The SLD is still reviewing a number of properly completed Form 471 applications which were received or postmarked within the Funding Year 2002 Form 471 application filing window but for which an FCDL has not yet been issued because of unique circumstances. Funds have been reserved for those applications, and FCDLs will be issued for those applications as the SLD completes its review process. Applicants can also check the status of their Form(s) 471 in the Apply Online section of this web site.

FY2002 Wave 30 data is currently unavailable via this web site. We are working to resolve the problem and will post a notice once this data becomes available.

Following is a list of the documents or pages that have changed on this web site since the last posting on updates:

“Wave Number” has been added to the Data Retrieval Tool as both an optional search criterion and a data point. You can limit your search to a single wave by entering a wave number in the optional search area, or you can include wave number in the data points that are returned from your search. Also, the order of the explanations of optional criteria in the Instructions has been changed to match the order of the fields on the Data Retrieval Tool itself.

The guidance on Corrective SPIN Changes and Operational SPIN Changes has been updated to include all of the information we need in order to process these changes. The updated information begins with Item 20 in the Corrective SPIN Changes list and Item 18 in the Operational SPIN Change list. Corrective SPIN Changes also contains more information on global SPIN changes.

The guidance on State Replacement Contracts has been updated to include the additional information we need to process applications that reference these contracts. The updated information begins with Item 3 in Situation A and Item 4 in Situation B.

The Supreme Court today announced its decision with respect to the constitutionality of the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) as applied to libraries. CIPA required schools and libraries receiving E-rate funds to install software to block visual depictions of obscenity or child pornography and to prevent minors from accessing pornographic material deemed to be harmful to them. In response to a suit filed by a group of libraries and others, a lower court found the blocking requirements as applied to libraries to be unconstitutional. The Supreme Court today reversed the lower court, holding the requirements to be constitutional.

USAC is awaiting guidance from the Federal Communications Commission in response to the Supreme Court decision. As we get more information on this subject, we will post it on this web site.

Today, the Schools and Libraries Committee approved fully funding FY 2003 approved Internal Connections funding requests in the 90% discount band.

Wave 5 for Funding Year 2003 will be issued next week. The SLD plans to issue Wave 6, the first wave to feature funding commitments at the 90% level, the week of June 30.

Further information on funding requests for Internal Connections below 90% will be posted on this web site as it becomes available.

On April 30, 2003, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released its Second Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM) in Docket No. 02-6, FCC 03-101. The Second Report and Order simplifies and streamlines certain aspects of the Schools and Libraries Support Mechanism. The FNPRM seeks comment on the following:

• carryover of unused funds from funding year to funding year,
• the timing for applicant filing of technology plans,
• the establishment of an online computerized eligible services list for telecommunications services and Internet access, and
• additional measures to limit waste, fraud and abuse.

This document was published in the Federal Register, Vol. 68, No. 119 for Friday, June 20, 2003. The Second Order can be found on pages 36931–36944. The FNPRM can be found on pages 36961–36967.

Comments on the FNPRM are due on or before July 21, 2003. Reply comments are due on or before August 19, 2003. For information on filing comments, please refer to III. Procedural Issues, C. Comment Filing Procedures on pages 36965–36966 in the notice.

From May 20 through June 3, 2003, multiple copies of Form 472 (BEAR) Notification Letters were issued in error to certain applicants and service providers.

If an amount was authorized for payment on an FRN, the check date is the same date as the date of the first letter. However, for each FRN, the date on the most recent letter is the date used to calculate the deadline for appeals of the SLD decision.

We have corrected the error that caused this duplication, and we apologize for any confusion this error may have caused.

The SLD will not issue a wave of funding commitments for Funding Year 2002 this week, as previously announced. The next wave of FY2002 FCDLs will be issued next week. It will include denials of Internal Connections funding requests at the 80% discount level.

The SLD has determined that funds will be insufficient in Funding Year 2002 to make funding commitments on Internal Connections requests with discount percentages at 80%. (The SLD has already announced that funds were insufficient to fund Internal Connections requests below 80%.) Applicants who have Internal Connections FRNs at 80% with an “As Yet Unfunded” status will be advised that those FRNs will be “Not Funded” in the next wave of FCDLs for FY 2002.

The SLD has determined that funds will be insufficient in Funding Year 2003 to make funding commitments on Internal Connections requests with discount percentages below 70%. Such FRNs will be marked “Not Funded” in future FCDLs. There is no decision yet on whether funds will be sufficient to fully fund Internal Connections requests with discount percentages between 70% and 90%.

The determination that funds will be insufficient to fully fund all approved requests on FY 2003 Forms 471 filed within the application filing window means that there will not be funds available for Forms 471 filed after the close of the filing window. Therefore, SLD has removed the online option to file FY 2003 Forms 470 and 471. If such forms are submitted to SLD on paper, they will be returned.

The Task Force on the Prevention of Waste, Fraud and Abuse held its second meeting on May 29–30, 2003, in Kansas City, Mo. Information on the Task Force is available through the Quick Link labeled “Waste, Fraud & Abuse Task Force” on the right-hand side of this page.

• The Update on Second Meeting of Task Force contains a series of draft recommendations to address the broad areas of concern identified in the first meeting of the Task Force.
• The List of Task Force Members contains biographical information and an active e-mail link from each member’s name. If you would like to offer comment to a Task Force member, please use the e-mail link provided on that list and put “Task Force” in the subject line of your e-mail message.
  

The FCC Form 470 for Funding Year 2004 (07/01/2004-06/30/2005) is now available for filing. You may file this form online or download the Form 470 and Instructions from this web site.

The Form 470 is designed in a scannable format that facilitates the data entry process. There are now three different paths to completing Form 470:

• The online PDF version of the form, which you can access from the Apply Online area of this web site.
• The interview format, which you can also access from the Apply Online area of this web site. This format is especially useful for first-time filers and filers with relatively simple applications. The Form 470 Interview asks a series of questions, automatically inserts the answers provided into the database and then produces a finished form.
• The paper version of the form, which you can download and print from the Applicant Forms section of this web site.

An applicant who begins an application using the online interface can exit and then continue the form using the interview interface, or vice versa. Remember that you must record your Form 470 Application Number and Security Code to re-enter an incomplete form.

Applicants who have User IDs and PINs can certify their Form 470 online. If you do not have a User ID and a PIN, you may be able to request one. Please visit the PIN Request Area for more information.

The SLD section of the USAC web site has a new look and feel.  It contains the same information as before, but in a format that is easier to read and more consistent across all the USAC web pages.

Below are some of the links on the redesigned site that will lead you to existing information:

• The menu bars for "Applicants" and "Service Providers" have moved from the right-hand column to the left-hand column.
• "Apply Online" has moved under the "Forms" menu bar in the left-hand column.  Printable copies of applicant and service provider forms are available for download under the "Forms" menu bar.
• The various online search tools, such as Funding Commitments and Data Requests, are collected under the "Tools" menu bar in the left-hand column.
• The Reference Area is accessible under the "QuickLinks" box in the right-hand column.

In addition, time-sensitive messages formerly collected under  "What's New!" now appear as "Important Notices" and "Headlines" in the center column.  Important Notices are short-duration reminders such as upcoming deadlines, and Headlines cover topics of more general interest.

You can Take a Tour of the redesigned site to familiarize yourself with the new links.  You may also want to visit the redesigned USAC Home Page for information about other Universal Service Support Mechanisms.

The SLD will not issue a wave of funding commitments for Funding Year 2002 this week. We plan to issue the next wave of FY2002 Funding Commitment Decision Letters during the week of June 16, 2003.