Welcome to the Program

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E-Rate For Beginners
Welcome to the Program! What is
E-Rate? Discounts on Telecommunications Inte
rnet, and Internal Connections
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E-Rate For Beginners
How much? 2.25 Billion per year 20 - 90
percent off! Thousands to Millions of
Dollars! Discounts on services you need!
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E-Rate For Beginners
Gregs E-Rate Rules of 20 Over 20 of requests
denied 20 of money not claimed 20 turnover
of coordinators
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E-Rate For Beginners
Help is available http//www.sl.universalservice.
org http//www.e-ratecentral.com http//www.fund
sforlearning.com www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Technolog
y
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E-Rate For Beginners
What we will cover - Technology Plan - Form
470 - Form 471 - Form 486 (CIPA Deadlines) -
Discounts/Retroactive Payments - Eligible
Services - Appeals - Questions and Answers
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E-Rate For Beginners
Form 470 Who you are and what services you
want. File Online! Posted on SLD Web Site 28
Days Sign Contracts
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E-Rate For Beginners
Technology Planning
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E-Rate For Beginners
Elements of a Technology Plan

• The plan must establish clear goals and a
  realistic strategy
• The plan must have a professional development
  strategy
• The plan must include an assessment of the
  telecommunication
• services, hardware, software, and other
  services that will be
• needed to improve education or library
  services
• The plan must provide for a sufficient budget to
  acquire and
• support the non-discounted elements of the
  plan
• The plan must include an evaluation process that
  enables the
• school or library to monitor progress
  toward the specified goals

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E-Rate For Beginners
Form 470 Who you are and what services you
want.
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E-Rate For Beginners
Form 470 File Online!
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E-Rate For Beginners
Form 470 Vendors may NOT be contact for 470!
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E-Rate For Beginners
Form 470 Must be posted on SLD Web Site at
least 28 days before signing a contract - Two
percent of applications are denied for 28 day
violation.
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E-Rate For Beginners
Form 470 Sign Certification and send it
in! - Three percent of funding requests denied
because certification was not sent in!
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E-Rate For Beginners
Form 471 Who you are, your discount rate,
how much money you want.

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E-Rate For Beginners
Form 471 Filed by the entity that pays the
bills.
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E-Rate For Beginners
Form 471 File during filing window
- November 4 to January 16.
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E-Rate For Beginners
Form 471 File Online!
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E-Rate For Beginners
Form 471 Stay in the Window, Stay in the
Window! (Certification page must be postmarked
by January 16)
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E-Rate For Beginners
Form 471 Consortia Discount School
District 50 Other School 90 Discount
Rate 70 How to increase discount rate for a
large, low discount school district
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E-Rate For Beginners
Form 470 Who you are and what services you
want.
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E-Rate For Beginners
Form 471 Who you are, your discount rate,
how much money you want.
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E-Rate For Beginners
Bid Documentation Copies of RFP Copies of all
bids How was winning bidder chosen (price must
be primary) Copies of contracts Reviewer
notes
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E-Rate For Beginners
Item 21 Attachments Dont attach
bills! Specific enough to understand service D
ont use forbidden words!
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E-Rate For Beginners
Forbidden Words Management Contract Voice
mail Filtering Electrical Upgrades Consulting
services Training
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E-Rate For Beginners
Forbidden Words Modems (except
Cable) Computers (end user items) File
storage Internet II (see exceptions) Local
personnel costs
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E-Rate For Beginners
Receipt Acknowledgement Letter Check for
accuracy! Confirms data entry and Certification
receipt 14 days to fix mistakes
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E-Rate For Beginners
Need Help? SLD Help Line 888-203-8100 SLD
Website http//www.sl.universalservice.org
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E-Rate For Beginners
Form 486 I have started service, it is OK for
SLD to pay invoices - AND - I am (am not) in
compliance with Childrens Internet Protection
Act (CIPA)
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E-Rate For Beginners
Form 486 File Online! Receive Notification
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E-Rate For Beginners
Form 472 (BEAR Form) I have received service, I
paid full price and I want my discounts paid
retroactively Payment goes through vendor
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E-Rate For Beginners
Form 472 (BEAR Form) HELP! My vendor is
sinking! (going out of business) Good
Samaritan Notify SLD BEFORE they issue a check!
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E-Rate For Beginners
Looming Deadlines! Year 5 (2002) October 28 to
file Form 486 for Year 5 (generally) or risk
losing some funding CIPA compliance Not too
late to file now!
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E-Rate For Beginners
Looming Deadlines! Year 4 (2001) Form 472 or
vendor invoices must be filed by October 28 or
all will be returned to telephone
cos. 1,000,000,000 Unclaimed!!! Too late to
file for recurring svcs.
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E-Rate For Beginners
Item 25 Review (mini audit) During Application
Review - Four percent of TOTAL
funding requests denied through Item
25 audit - Verify bidding process - Verify
ability to pay non-discount - Verify adequate
training - Adequate facilities - Appropriate
discount
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E-Rate For Beginners
Item 25 Review (mini audit) How to get
selected - Large funding request - Unusual
application - High discount - Certain
vendors - Luck of the draw
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E-Rate For Beginners
Appeals If you are denied, application rejected,
or funding reduced - Appeal! ..Unless you blew
it!
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E-Rate For Beginners
Appeals State case clearly Cite language in Act
or previous FCC decisions Document your
appeal Enlist help of Washington Reps.
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E-Rate For Beginners
Appeals 60 days to file appeals Can file with
FCC or SLD Backlog at SLD 2 months Backlog at
FCC over 1 year! Better to fix problems at
PIA...
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E-Rate For Beginners
Waste, Fraud, Abuse
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E-Rate For Beginners
Eligible Services Telecommunications Local/Long
distance telephone Broadband connections -
voice/video/data, VOIP Wide Area
Network Distance Learning
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E-Rate For Beginners
Eligible Services Telecommunications Caution
Must be provided by a Common Carrier
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E-Rate For Beginners
Eligible Services Internet Access Basic
Conduit to the Internet No Voice/Video Streami
ng Video OK Any E-Rate vendor eligible
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E-Rate For Beginners
Eligible Services Internal Connections Routers,
servers(conditional), PBXs, video
modulator, conduit, LAN, installation,
maintenance, cable
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E-Rate For Beginners
Other Rules to Keep in Mind 30 Rule If 30
or more of a funding request includes
ineligible products or services, the entire
request will be denied When in doubt - break it
out!
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E-Rate For Beginners
Other Rules to Keep in Mind 500,000 Rule If
onetime vendor capital charges exceed 500,000,
the charges must be amortized over three years