E-Rate News for the Week of 10/14 – 10/18/2002
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Wave 14 Funding for FY 2002
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Online Form 486 Available on SLD Web Site
•
Updated Eligible Services List Available from SLD
•
New Student Eligibility Survey Letter Available
•
CIPA Filtering Required for Administrative Areas
The E-Rate News for the Week, prepared by E-Rate Central, is sponsored
by the Council of Chief State School Officers ("CCSSO") and made
possible by a grant from the AT&T Foundation. Official SLD news is in the
"What’s New!" section of the SLD’s Web site
(http://www.sl.universalservice.org). Additional information is on the State
Education Telecommunications Alliance’s ("SETA") Web site
(http://www.e-ratecentral.com)
•
Wave 14 Funding for FY 2002
Wave 14 of Funding Year 2002 was released on Tuesday, October
22. Congratulations to Indian River and the Panhandle Educational
Consortium.
Total national funding in this Wave was approximately $11 million for 80
applications, the smallest wave to date. The cumulative total for FY 2002
is now $1.39 billion for over 26,800 applications. [Note: Review of
applications will continue until they are all completed. If you have a proper
packet that meets all the requirements, then SLD will issue the
commitment letter. SLD decides, but as always you can appeal their
decision.]
Internal Connection funding is now being provided for applicants at the
90% discount rate. No Internal Connection funding is available below
80%. Internal Connection funding for discounts in the 80-89% range
cannot yet be projected.
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Online Form 486 Available on SLD Web Site
It is now possible to fill in and file a Form 486 online. This filing feature can
be accessed in the Apply Online
(http://www.sl.universalservice.org/menu.asp) section of the SLD Web
site. Please note the following:
(1) Unlike previous online forms, the screen format for the Form 486 looks
exactly like the paper form (the September 2002 version with the
scanning hash marks). We understand that similar changes will be
made in the appearance of the online Form 470 and Form 471.
(2) Currently, there is no ability to save a partially completed online Form
486. Once you start, you must complete and submit it (or start anew).
(3) Letters typed directly onto the Form initially appear to disregard the
scanning hash marks but, as soon as the Tab button is used to go to
the next field, the characters are properly reoriented.
(4) If the Billed Entity Number is entered first, the system will pre-populate
the entity name and address information. Similarly, entering the data
for Columns (A) and (B) of Block 3 will pre-populate Columns (C) – (F).
Changes can be made to the pre-populated fields, if necessary, but
this saves a lot of typing.
(5) Once the Form is complete and submitted, the system assigns an
Application Number, which should be recorded and saved. A copy of
the completed Form 486 should also be printed at this stage for your
files.
(6) An applicant, who has registered for electronic certification and who has
received a PIN (http://www.sl.universalservice.org/reference/oscerts.asp),
can certify the Form 486 online. If electronic certification (or "E-cert") is
used, a Cert ID Number will be assigned and should also be recorded and
saved.
(7) An applicant, who does not have a PIN, must sign a printed copy of
Page 7 and mail it to the SLD at the address shown on that page.
Although not stated in the instructions, it is best to assume that the
mailed signature page must be postmarked by the Form 486 deadline
discussed above.
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Updated Eligible Services List Available from SLD
An updated version of the SLD’s Eligible Service List is now available at
http://www.sl.universalservice.org/data/pdf/EligibleServicesList_10_18_02.
pdf. Changes from last October’s version are highlighted in bold type.
The biggest change is philosophical. The previous version included a
designation for each entry in the ELIGIBILITY column indicating "Yes,"
No," or "Conditional." This year’s designations are "Not Eligible" or blank.
The significance of the blanks is that no service is considered fully eligible
under all conditions.
Services are eligible only if used for eligible purposes at eligible locations.
These eligibility conditions are described on a service-by-service basis in
the ELEMENT/DESCRIPTION column.
The following is a list of several important modifications or clarifications:
(1) A more complete description is provided of Basic Telephone Service.
This definition is particularly important for applicants without approved
technology plans who can only apply for discounts on "basic"
telephone service.
(2) Voice or video over IP ("VoIP") is eligible if provided as a
telecommunications service by a telecommunications carrier
(specifically, not by an Internet service provider). Conversely, a wide
area network ("WAN") service can be provided by an Internet service
provider, but only to distribute Internet access services, not for other
telecommunications services.
(3) Additional guidance is provided for bundled products and services that
contain both eligible and ineligible components. In various cases, such
bundled products can be considered completely ineligible, partially
eligible, or fully eligible. For more detailed guidance, see
http://www.sl.universalservice.org/reference/costallocationguide.asp
•
New Student Eligibility Survey Letter Available [Note: Melinda and I will
post the free and reduced lunch info shortly for your use with your
application.]
By now, most schools participating in the National School Lunch Program
("NSLP") have begun reporting free and reduced-price lunch data for the
new school year. With the Form 471 window set to open November 4
th
,
this is a good time to check prospective discount rates for next year’s
applications. Since E-rate discounts can be based on the percentage of
students eligible for reduced-price lunches, not on the percentage
participating, it is often worth doing some extra work to determine student
eligibility using alternative measures. For schools not participating in
NSLP, alternative measures are the only way to document discount rates.
The SLD’s fact sheet on alternative discount mechanisms is available on
their Web site at http://www.sl.universalservice.org/reference/alt.asp.
One of the most important mechanisms that can be used is a student
survey. An updated sample survey package, including a cover letter and a
two-page questionnaire, is now available on the E-Rate Central Web site
(see Tip 2 under Discount Rate Optimization in the Application Tips
section). A Spanish-language version of this survey package will be
available shortly.
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CIPA Filtering Required for Administrative Areas
Several school applicants have recently reported being approached by
Internet service providers offering to provide unfiltered Internet services to
separate administrative areas and/or buildings. The schools are
apparently being advised that, although such services would not eligible
for E-rate discounts, the existence of these separate services would not
jeopardize the school’s other E-rate discounts covered by the Children’s
Internet Protection Act ("CIPA").[Note: please let me know if anybody is
doing this in your area-Claude]
For better or worse, neither the SLD nor the FCC has promulgated
extensive regulations for CIPA compliance. Only broadest of guidelines
have been provided (see
http://www.sl.universalservice.org/reference/CIPA.asp). Applicants are
required to certify compliance with CIPA.
We have been informally advised by the SLD that filtering is required for
all Internet-enabled computers, whether used by school administrators or
students, the SLD’s written indication of this requirement in the CIPA
reference material is the statement:
"A Technology Protection Measure is a specific technology that blocks or
filters Internet access. It must protect against access by adults and minors
to visual depictions that are obscene, child pornography, or - with respect
to use of computers with Internet access by minors - harmful to minors. It
may be disabled for adults engaged in bona fide research or other lawful
purposes.
Disclaimer: This newsletter may contain unofficial information on
prospective E-rate developments and/or may reflect E-Rate Central’s own
interpretations of E-rate practices and regulations. Such information is
provided for planning and guidance purposes only. It is not meant, in any
way, to supplant official announcements and instructions provided by
either the SLD or the FCC.