ERate For Beginners - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

1 / 59
About This Presentation
Title:

ERate For Beginners

Description:

... Libraries Support Mechanism started providing discounts as of January 1, 1998 ... Provides discounts to eligible schools and libraries for Telecommunications ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

Number of Views:77
Avg rating:3.0/5.0
Slides: 60
Provided by: chrisvi
Category:

less

Transcript and Presenter's Notes

Title: ERate For Beginners


1
E-Rate For Beginners
  • As told to
  • Georgia Dept. of Education
  • And
  • Educational Technology Training Centers

2
Agenda
  • What is E-Rate
  • Eligible Entities (Who can apply)
  • Eligible Service Providers (Who can provide
    Service)
  • Eligible Services
  • Discussion of Priority 1 vs. Priority 2 Services
  • Calculating Discounts
  • The Process Beginning to end
  • Technology Planning

3
Agenda Contd
  • Forms
  • 470
  • 471
  • 486
  • 472 474
  • Contract Requirements
  • Application Review
  • Funding Commitments
  • Invoices
  • Document Retention
  • Appeals

4
What is E-Rate
  • Schools and Libraries Support Mechanism started
    providing discounts as of January 1, 1998
  • Telecommunications Act of 1996
  • Congress directed the FCC to establish
    competitively neutral rules . . . to enhance, to
    the extent technically feasible and economically
    reasonable, access to advance telecommunications
    and information services for all public and
    non-profit elementary and secondary school
    classrooms . . . and libraries.
  • First Report and Order (FCC 97-157)

5
E-Rate Overview
  • School and Libraries Support Mechanism
  • Provides discounts to eligible schools and
    libraries for Telecommunications Services,
    Internet Access, Internal Connections, and Basic
    Maintenance.
  • Applicants can be schools, libraries, or
    consortia, but only eligible recipients of
    services can receive discounts.
  • Applicants must apply for discounts each year.
  • Funding is capped at 2.25 billion annually.
  • From January 1, 1998 through September 7, 2004,
    more than 13.7 billion in funding commitments
    have been issued to eligible schools and
    libraries.

6
Eligible Entities
  • Schools
  • Must meet the statutory definition of elementary
    or secondary school found in the No Child Left
    Behind Act of 2001.
  • Must be a non-profit institutional day or
    residential school, including a public charter
    school, that provides elementary or secondary
    education, as determined under state law.
  • Must not be operating as a for-profit business.
  • Must not have an endowment exceeding 50 million.

7
Eligible Entities
  • Schools (cont.)
  • Pre-kindergarten, Adult Education, Juvenile
    Justice
  • Must meet state definition of elementary or
    secondary education.
  • Students and/or facilities may be eligible.
  • SLD requests updated information from state
    departments of education every two years.

8
Eligible Entities - The bottom Line
  • Educational Purposes
  • Activities that occur on library or school
    property are presumed to be integral, immediate,
    and proximate to the education of students or the
    provision of library services to library patrons
    and therefore qualify as educational purposes.
  • Customary work activities of employees of a
    school or library are presumed to fall under the
    definition of education purposes.

9
Eligible Entities
  • Examples of Non-instructional Facilities (NIFs)
    that can receive Priority 1 services
  • SCHOOLS
  • Administrative buildings
  • School bus barns and garages
  • Cafeteria offices
  • Facilities associated with athletic activities
  • LIBRARIES
  • Administrative buildings
  • Bookmobile garages
  • Interlibrary loan facilities
  • Library technology centers

10
Eligible Entities
  • Libraries
  • Must meet the statutory definition of library or
    library consortium found in the Library Services
    and Technology Act (LSTA) of 1996.
  • Must be eligible for assistance from a state
    library administrative agency under LSTA.
  • Budget must be completely separate from any
    schools.
  • Must not be operating as a for-profit business.

11
Eligible Entities
  • FCC Registration Numbers
  • As required by the Fifth Report and Order,
    effective October 1, 2004 ALL entities that
    participate in the Schools and Libraries Support
    Mechanism MUST get an FCC RN, including
  • Schools
  • Libraries
  • Consortium leaders
  • Service Providers
  • Consultants
  • https//svartifoss2.fcc.gov/coresWeb/publicHome.do

12
Eligible Entities
  • Red Light Rule
  • Red light rule The FCC shall withhold action on
    any application made by an entity that is
    delinquent in its non-tax debts owed to the FCC,
    and shall dismiss such applications if the
    delinquent debt is not resolved.
  • Applications filed by Red-Lighted entities will
    be held, and notice will be given to the
    applicant of the reason for the hold. If the
    debt has still not been satisfied after 30 days,
    and no appeal is pending regarding the Red Light,
    the application will be dismissed.
  • Entities that know their FCC Registration Number
    and CORES password can check their status by
    going to the Red Light Display System at
    www.fcc.gov/redlight.

13
Eligible Service Providers
  • Providers of Telecommunications Services
  • Must contribute to the Universal Service Fund, if
    applicable.
  • Must provide telecommunications services on a
    common carriage basis to be a telecommunications
    carrier.
  • To be a telecommunications carrier, the carrier
    must
  • (1) allow the customer to transmit information of
    its own design and choosing, without change in
    the form or content of the information, and
  • (2) provide that capability for a fee directly to
    the public, or to such classes of users as to be
    effectively available to the public (i.e., hold
    itself out to serve indifferently all potential
    users).

14
Eligible Service Providers
  • Telecommunications Carriers
  • Must file Form 499A on an annual basis and check
    at least one box on Line 227 and file Forms 499Q,
    if applicable.
  • Must revise the Form 498 to reflect Form 499
    Filer. I.D.
  • SP must be designated eligible in SLD database.
  • SP may not provide telecommunications services if
    it has not been designated as a
    telecommunications carrier.

15
Priority 1 vs. Priority 2
  • Priority 1
  • Telecommunications Services
  • local and long distance
  • wireline and wireless
  • voice, data, video
  • Internet Access
  • Priority 2
  • Internal Connections (switches, hubs, routers,
    wiring)
  • Basic Maintenance on Internal Connections
  • Priority 1 funded first, then Priority 2 funded
    beginning with neediest applicants (90, 89,
    88, etc.)

16
Eligible Services List
  • Eligible Services List
  • Lists services by category (Telecommunications
    Services, Internet Access, Internal Connections,
    Basic Maintenance and Miscellaneous)
  • Some services are conditionally eligible
  • Ineligible services
  • 2 in 5 Rule on Internal Connections
  • Available on SLD web site

17
Calculating Discounts
  • Discount Calculation
  • National School Lunch Program (NSLP)
  • Individual schools start with the percentage of
    students eligible for NSLP for their school
  • School districts start with the NSLP
    percentages of individual schools in the
    district, calculate weighted average of all
    schools
  • Libraries start with the percentage of students
    eligible for NSLP for the school district in
    which the library is located
  • Consortia calculate simple average of
    discounts of members
  • Urban or rural status of county in which school
    or library is located (from

18
Calculating Discounts
  • Discount Matrix

19
Calculating Discounts
  • Points to Remember
  • All discount calculations will involve
  • percentage of students eligible for NSLP in a
    school or school district
  • determination of Urban/Rural status
  • discount from Discount Matrix.
  • Applicant with members or subunits must calculate
    an average of those members
  • School district individual schools
  • Library system library outlets/branches
  • Consortium eligible member entities

20
(No Transcript)
21
Application Process
  • Service Providers
  • Form 498 What is my SPIN?
  • Form 499A for Telecom Carriers What is my
    responsibility to the Universal Service Fund?
  • Form 473 What am I required to do before
    receiving payment on an invoice?
  • Form 472 or Form 474 How do I submit invoices
    to USAC?
  • Online filing available for most forms
  • Online service provider certification under
    consideration

22
Application Process
  • CAUTION If vendors become involved too early,
    there is a heightened possibility of impropriety.

23
Application Process
  • Important Note
  • Consultants or other outside agents may be okay,
    however THE APPLICANT is ultimately responsible
    for the legality, validity, and dependability of
    their E-Rate application

24
Application Process
  • Applicants
  • Technology Plan What is my plan?
  • Form 470 What services do I want?
  • Form 471 What services did I order?
  • Form 486 When did services start?
  • Form 472 or Form 474 How do I receive
    reimbursements or discounts?
  • Online filing/certification available for most
    forms

25
Technology Planning
  • Technology Plans
  • Not required for basic local, cellular, PCS,
    and/or long distance phone service and/or voice
    mail
  • Must be written before Form 470 filing
  • Must be approved by an SLD-certified approver
    before Form 486 filing or start of services,
    whichever is earlier
  • Must cover five areas
  • Goals / Strategies for using technology
  • Professional development
  • Needs assessment
  • Sufficient budget
  • Evaluation process
  • NOTE The Georgia Technology Planning Approval
    Process Includes the 5 points. An Approved GA
    Tech. Plan is an approved E-Rate Tech. Plan

26
Technology Planning
  • Service providers may offer NEUTRAL technical
    assistance.
  • Service providers may not act as technology plan
    approvers.

General Rule If it sounds too good to be true,
it is!
27
Form 470 Competitive Bid Process
  • Form 470
  • Opens a competitive bidding process
  • Applicant responsible for ensuring an open, fair
    process and selecting the most cost-effective
    provider of the desired services
  • Must wait 28 days after POSTING of Form 470 to
    select service provider, sign contract, and sign
    and submit Form 471
  • Can be filed once for multi-year contracts, but
    470 and RFP must indicate intent to sign
    multi-year contract with extensions
  • Make RFP available or list specific
    service/function and quantity/capacity

28
Form 470 Competitive Bid Process
  • Competitive Bidding
  • Request for Proposal (RFP)
  • Not required under the FCC Rules, but a good idea
  • Must comply with local and state procurement laws
  • Describes your project scope, location, other
    requirements in detail
  • Cost must be the primary factor
  • If you have an RFP, you must indicate so on the
    Form 470
  • Competition
  • Goal is to have as many bidders as possible
  • Promotes better service and lower prices
  • Fair and open process
  • All bidders treated the same, no advance
    knowledge of RFP information
  • No secrets in the process, all bidders know what
    is required of them

29
Form 470 Competitive Bid Process
  • Service providers must remain NEUTRAL at all
    times.
  • Service providers may not interfere with
    applicants affirmative duty to conduct a fair
    and open bid process.
  • Service providers may not exert undue influence
    over an applicant.

30
Form 470 Competitive Bid Process
  • Obligation to Pay Non-discount Share
  • Applicants are required to pay their share of the
    cost (the non-discount portion) cannot be
    donated, forgiven or ignored.
  • Service providers cannot waive or credit the
    applicants share.
  • Offers to reduce price must be incorporated into
    the total pre-discount amount.
  • Service provider must bill the applicant for
    non-discount share of services.

31
Form 470 Competitive Bid Process
  • FORM 470
  • Service providers may offer basic information,
    such as timelines and deadlines.
  • Service provider or its consultant may not
    complete the 470.
  • Service provider or its consultant may not sign
    the Form 470.
  • Service provider or its consultant may not file
    the Form 470.
  • Service providers may not prepare the RFP.
  • Service providers may contribute information on
    technical issues.

32
Form 470 Competitive Bid Process
  • Points to Remember
  • Competitive bidding process must be open and
    fair.
  • List services sought in correct category of
    service (Form 471 must match).
  • Retain worksheets, bid evaluation criteria,
    winning AND LOSING bids.
  • Form 470 must be certified by close of Form 471
    application filing window.
  • Filing online speeds processing and reduces
    errors.

33
Form 470 Competitive Bid Process
  • Form 470 Receipt Notification Letter (RNL)
  • Cover page of important reminders and deadlines
  • Notifies applicant that Form 470 has been posted
    to the SLD web site
  • System will generate RNL for Forms 470 filed
    online after form is submitted but before it is
    certified.
  • Form MUST be certified before close of Form 471
    application filing window.
  • Contains Allowable Vendor Selection / Contract
    Award Date
  • Do Not Ignore any letters from the SLD

34
Form 471
  • Form 471
  • Provides specific information on services,
    service providers selected, and contracts
  • Provides discount calculation information
  • Must be filed for each funding year
  • Must be postmarked on or before the last day of
    the Form 471 application filing window
  • Applicant certifies compliance with rules, which
    include securing access to resources to make
    effective use of discounts.
  • SLD now has a Block 4 upload

35
Form 471
  • Points to Remember
  • WAIT AT LEAST 28 DAYS from the posting of the
    Form 470 before
  • selecting a service provider
  • signing a contract
  • signing and submitting a completed Form 471.
  • File separate Forms 471 for Priority 1 and
    Priority 2 services.
  • Remove ineligible costs and document or estimate
    eligible costs carefully (30 Rule).
  • Filing online speeds processing and reduces
    errors.

36
Form 471
  • More Points to Remember
  • Service providers should always provide correct
    SPINs and contact information.
  • Service providers are encouraged to provide
    guidance to the applicant on its services and
    functionality during the application process.

37
Form 471
  • Service providers are encouraged to assist with
    providing information for the Item 21 attachment
    for their services.
  • Clear level of detail on the Item 21 attachment
    may advance the processing of the invoice.
  • An example of such detail would be the inclusion
    of the item (model ), quantity, and unit cost.
  • Smaller applications should use new Item 21
    Attachment builder

38
Form 471
  • Applicants will not receive funding for contracts
    that provide only a single price for a package
    that bundles both eligible and ineligible
    services together.
  • Service provider and applicant should work
    together to create pricing terms in the contract
    that cost allocate ineligible services.
  • Service providers are also encouraged to assist
    in providing applicant with billing account
    numbers and contract numbers.

39
Form 471
  • Form 471 Receipt Acknowledgment Letter (RAL)
  • Cover page of important reminders and deadlines
  • Provides confirmation of certain information
    entered from Form 471
  • Data entry errors may be corrected by submitting
    a copy of the RAL with the specific errors lined
    out and the correct information supplied
    three-week deadline.
  • Funding request reductions may also be submitted
    before funding commitment.

40
Contract Requirements
  • FCC Rules require applicant to sign a contract
    prior to the filing of a completed Form 471. 47
    C.F.R. 54.504(c).
  • Fifth Report and Order requires both the
    applicant and service provider to sign the
    contract prior to the filing of a Form 471.
  • This rule does not apply to tariffed or
    month-to-month services.
  • Verbal agreements are not acceptable.
  • Quotes are not acceptable.

41
Contract Requirements
  • Service provider and applicant must comply with
    state contract law.
  • Service provider and applicant must comply with
    state and local procurement laws.

42
Contract Requirements
  • Applicant must provide signed and dated (by both
    parties) contracts for reviews and audits.
  • Applicant must be prepared to prove its contract
    meets the requirements of state contract law.
  • Applicant certifies that it has signed a contract
    on its Form 486.

43
Contract Requirements
  • Service provider is required to permit the
    applicant prior to the submission of the Form 471
    to choose the Method of Payment BEAR v. SPI
    for discounted services.
  • FCC Second Report and Order encourages the
    applicant and service provider to work together
    to determine the method of payment.
  • FCC Second Report and Order encourages including
    the method of payment in the contract.

44
Contract Requirements
  • Know your legal rights.
  • SLD does not intervene in disputes that are
    contract-based rather than program-rule based.
  • Contract disputes should be brought before local
    and state courts, not the SLD or the FCC.

45
Application Review
  • Review of Applications
  • Program Integrity Assurance
  • Review by PIA, which may include
  • Competitive bidding process
  • Contracts
  • Discount calculation
  • Sufficient budget
  • Establishing Form 470
  • Technology Plan

46
Application Review
  • Points to Remember
  • Provide information requested by reviewers (PIA)
    promptly.
  • If necessary, work with your ETTC and/or your
    state coordinator (Chris Vicknair) to comply with
    information requests.
  • Ask for more time if you need it.
  • Retain documentation.
  • Review Request for Selective Review Information
    fax to understand what information might be
    requested.

47
Funding Commitments
  • Funding Commitment Decision Letter
  • Cover page of important reminders and deadlines
  • FCDL reports status of individual funding
    requests
  • Funded
  • Not Funded
  • As Yet Unfunded (Internal Connections)
  • Service provider does not receive this status
  • Canceled
  • May receive more than one FCDL

48
Funding Commitments
  • Points to Remember
  • Check all entries on the FCDL carefully to make
    sure there are no data entry errors.
  • Applicants use the information on the FCDL to
    prepare the Form 486.

49
Form 486
  • Notification that services have started and the
    SLD can pay invoices
  • Certifies that Tech Plan (if required) has been
    approved.
  • If Tech Plan has not been approved by
    SLD-certified approver, the application is
    subject to denial and invoices will not be paid.
  • Certifies status under Childrens Internet
    Protection Act (CIPA).
  • Lead members of consortia may be required to
    collect CIPA certifications from consortium
    members on a separate form (Form 479).

50
Form 486
  • Form 486 Deadline
  • Form 486 must be postmarked no later than
  • 120 days after the Service Start Date featured on
    the Form 486 OR
  • 120 days after the date of the Funding Commitment
    Decision Letter
  • whichever is later.
  • If Form 486 is postmarked later than the above
    deadline, the date 120 days before the Form 486
    postmark date will become the start date for
    discounted services and funding may be reduced.

51
Form 486
  • Form 486 Notification Letter
  • Cover page of important reminders and deadlines.
  • Provides confirmation that a Form 486 has been
    successfully data entered.
  • SLD will accept invoices from applicants and
    service providers once the Form 486 is
    successfully processed.

52
Invoices
  • Invoices Form 472 or Form 474
  • BEAR (Billed Entity Applicant Reimbursement) Form
    472 is filed by the applicant and certified by
    the service provider after the applicant receives
    services and pays for the services in full.
  • OR
  • SPI (Service Provider Invoice) Form 474 is filed
    by the service provider after providing services
    and billing the applicant for its non-discount
    share.

NOTE Service Providers MUST give the applicant
the choice of billing options
53
Invoices
  • Points to Remember
  • Invoices cannot be used to request SPIN changes
    or service substitutions.
  • Invoices are reviewed for program compliance
    respond promptly to requests for information.
  • Service providers are required to reimburse the
    applicant within 20 days after RECEIPT of the
    funds from SLD.

54
Invoices
  • Invoice Deadlines
  • Invoices must be postmarked no later than
  • 120 days after the last date to receive service
    OR
  • 120 days after the date of the Form 486
    Notification Letter
  • whichever is later.
  • If an invoice is postmarked later than the above
    deadline, payment will be denied.
  • Extensions of invoice deadlines may be requested
    under certain conditions.
  • See web site for details.

55
Document Retention
  • Remember 5-year retention requirement for all
    documents.
  • Good recordkeeping is ESSENTIAL.
  • Keep copies of EVERYTHING.
  • Keep these documents with E-rate files, or
    copies, if accounting department keeps its own
    files.

56
Document Retention
  • Types of records to retain include
  • Competitive bid documents
  • RFPs, bids, quotes, proposals, etc.
  • Signed contracts
  • Service provider bills to customers
  • Detail of services/products and locations
  • Indicate entity(ies) receiving service/products
  • Delivery/installation dates
  • Applicant payments
  • Cancelled checks
  • Service credits for any reason

57
Appeals
  • Decisions of the SLD can be appealed to the SLD
    or to the FCC.
  • Generally, appeal first to the SLD.
  • Can appeal to the FCC if SLD does not grant the
    appeal.
  • Can be filed electronically or on paper.
  • Must be received or postmarked within 60 days of
    the SLD decision.
  • See Appeals Procedure in Reference Area for
    specific guidance.
  • Requests for waivers of rules must be filed with
    the FCC.

58
USAC-Schools Libraries Division
  • SLD main page of USAC web site
  • www.sl.universalservice.org
  • Client Service Bureau
  • Use the Submit a Question link on the web site
  • Fax toll-free at 1-888-276-8736
  • Telephone toll-free at 1-888-203-8100
  • Read the form instructions

59
Georgia Contacts
  • State E-Rate Coordinator
  • Chris Vicknair
  • Chris.vicknair_at_doe.k12.ga.us
  • 404-657-5653
  • Charlie Jackson
  • Charlie.jackson_at_doe.k12.ga.us
  • 404-657-7654
  • ETTC Contact
  • your Name here
  • your Email
  • Number here
Write a Comment
User Comments (0)
About PowerShow.com