From Sabrina.Carson at wesd.org Mon Jan 3 11:35:19 2011 From: Sabrina.Carson at wesd.org (Carson, Sabrina) Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2011 11:35:19 -0800 Subject: [Erate] E-Rate Central News of the Week for January 3, 2011 Message-ID: <06D9FD985A42704BB0E8F483ACA3FE2E3F7AF0FE97@miranda.wesd.org> See the attached newsletter for articles on: * Funding Status. The application window for FY 2011 will open January 11th and close March 24th. No funding waves for FY 2009 or FY 2010 are scheduled for this week. * 2010 Review ? 2011 Preview. The major news for 2010 revolved around the release of the FCC?s new E-rate rules. The key developments for 2011 will likely involve the implementation of the new rules. * E-Rate Updates and Reminders. The FCC released an important, but controversial, order on the regulation of broadband Internet services and net neutrality. The FCC also granted 79 more E-rate appeals. * Schools and Libraries News Brief dated December 30. This week's News Brief reviews the posting of appeal and prior year funding wave data on the SLD Web site. Sabrina Carson e-Rate Coordinator Willamette Education Service District 2611 Pringle Rd SE Salem, OR 97302 P: 503.540.4495 F: 503.540.2962 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Week_01_03 - SECA.doc Type: application/octet-stream Size: 128000 bytes Desc: Week_01_03 - SECA.doc URL: From Sabrina.Carson at wesd.org Mon Jan 3 11:36:26 2011 From: Sabrina.Carson at wesd.org (Carson, Sabrina) Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2011 11:36:26 -0800 Subject: [Erate] E-Rate Central News of the Week for December 27, 2010 Message-ID: <06D9FD985A42704BB0E8F483ACA3FE2E3F7AF0FE9C@miranda.wesd.org> My offices were closed last week so this didn?t get out to you. Hope you all had a safe and happy holiday season! See the attached newsletter for articles on: * Funding Status. The application window for FY 2011 will open January 11th and close March 24th. Wave 32 for FY 2010 and Wave 77 for FY 2001 will be released this week. The Priority 2 funding threshold for FY 2010 has been reduced to 81%. * EDU2011 Applications Received. As of last weekend, 85 applications had been reported received for the FCC?s wireless Internet pilot program. * E-Rate Updates and Reminders. The FCC has clarified the rules on the eligibility of ?free? mobile devices included in cellular service plans. Congress again exempted the Universal Service Fund from ADA restrictions for another year. Another FCC appeal order granted relief to seven applicants who had inadvertently canceled FRNs during PIA review. * Schools and Libraries News Brief dated December 23. This week's News Brief is a reminder that the winter contact rules will remain in effect only until January 7th. Sabrina Carson e-Rate Coordinator Willamette Education Service District 2611 Pringle Rd SE Salem, OR 97302 P: 503.540.4495 F: 503.540.2962 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Week_12_27 - SECA.doc Type: application/octet-stream Size: 135168 bytes Desc: Week_12_27 - SECA.doc URL: From Sabrina.Carson at wesd.org Wed Jan 5 16:32:39 2011 From: Sabrina.Carson at wesd.org (Carson, Sabrina) Date: Wed, 5 Jan 2011 16:32:39 -0800 Subject: [Erate] USAC Web Maintenance Message-ID: <06D9FD985A42704BB0E8F483ACA3FE2E3F7B0850B5@miranda.wesd.org> Website Maintenance This Weekend - Cutover from the Old to the New Form 470 January 5, 2011 What To Do If You Have Started a Form 470 This weekend, the Apply Online page and related tools will be unavailable starting at 6:00 pm EST Friday evening to as late as 5:00 pm EST on Sunday. USAC will be performing its customary website maintenance to prepare for the opening of the FY2011 filing window and also posting the new online Form 470. Below are the steps you should take if you have not yet completed and certified your Form 470 using the old version of the form. Remember that you cannot cite an incomplete or uncertified Form 470 on a Form 471 Block 5 funding request. Here are the situations you may be in today: 1. I have not yet started a Form 470. 2. I have started a Form 470 but have not yet submitted it. 3. I have submitted a Form 470 but have not yet certified it. 4. I have submitted but not certified a Form 470 and the authorized person is unavailable. 5. I have submitted a Form 470 on paper and my form status is "INCOMPLETE." 6. I have submitted a Form 470 online and mailed a paper certification, but my form status is still "COMPLETE." 7. I have submitted and certified a Form 470. And here are the steps you should take either before cutover (this Friday evening) or after cutover (when the Apply Online page and related tools are available again after this weekend): 1. I have not yet started a Form 470. Before cutover: If you would like to file your Form 470 using the old version of the form, you can file and certify your form online before this weekend. If you would like to file on paper using the old form, it is too late for us to process your form - you can file a paper form next week using the new Form 470 that will be posted on the website. After cutover: Use the new version of the Form 470 and file and certify it either online or on paper. 2. I have started a Form 470 but have not yet submitted it. Before cutover: Complete your Form 470 online this week and click on the "Submit" button on the last page. After cutover: We recommend that you create a new form using the new version of the Form 470 and file and certify it either online or on paper. 3. I have submitted a Form 470 but have not yet certified it. Before cutover: On the Apply Online page, click on the "Certify Complete" button in the Form 470 column and enter your application number. If you submitted your form online using the Form 470 Interview version, also enter your security code (the first five digits of your application number). If you did not use the Form 470 Interview version, leave the security code blank. Then you can either: * Click on "Electronic Certification" to certify your form online or * Click on "Paper Certification" to print a copy of your certification. You can then sign and date the certification where indicated and send the certification to USAC at the address at the bottom of the last page. After cutover: * On the Apply Online page, click on the "Search Posted" button in the Form 470 column. Choose Funding Year 2011 and click on the "Next>>" button. * Enter your Billed Entity Number or Form 470 application number where indicated and click the "Next>>" button. * Select the radio button to the left of the form you want to certify and then click on the "Review Selected Application" button. * Using your browser's Print function, print a copy of your entire form. * Write "CERTIFICATION" at the top of the first page of the printed copy of the form. * Sign and date the printed copy in Items 27 and 28, respectively. * Send the entire form to USAC at the address at the bottom of the last page. 4. I have submitted but not certified a Form 470 and the authorized person is unavailable. Before cutover: Follow the guidance in #3 before cutover above to print a copy of the certification page. When the authorized person is available, ask him or her to sign and date the certification. Then send the completed certification to USAC at the address at the bottom of the last page. (Note: As long as you print the certification before cutover, you can send it to USAC after cutover.) After cutover: Follow the guidance in #3 after cutover above. 5. I have submitted a Form 470 on paper and my form status is "INCOMPLETE." Before or after cutover: Call the Client Service Bureau (CSB) at 1-888-203-8100. Your form is in the data entry process and we may be attempting to contact you to supply missing or incomplete information. 6. I have submitted a Form 470 online and mailed a paper certification, but my form status is still "COMPLETE." Before or after cutover: Call the Client Service Bureau (CSB) at 1-888-203-8100 to find out the status of your certification. We may be attempting to contact you for additional information to complete the data entry of your certification. If we have not received your certification, we may ask you to send us a copy of the certification that you kept for your records. 7. I have submitted and certified a Form 470. You are all set and do not need to do anything else. You can cite this Form 470 on a Form 471 Block 5 funding request for FY2011. ________________________________ REMINDER: After cutover, you must use the new Form 470, whether you file online or on paper. If you file a Form 470 on paper using the old version of the form after cutover, CSB will contact you and ask you to supply the additional information required on the new form. Sabrina Carson e-Rate Coordinator Willamette Education Service District 2611 Pringle Rd SE Salem, OR 97302 P: 503.540.4495 F: 503.540.2962 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Sabrina.Carson at wesd.org Thu Jan 6 14:48:48 2011 From: Sabrina.Carson at wesd.org (Carson, Sabrina) Date: Thu, 6 Jan 2011 14:48:48 -0800 Subject: [Erate] BEAR submission outage Message-ID: <06D9FD985A42704BB0E8F483ACA3FE2E3F7B085751@miranda.wesd.org> USAC is experiencing intermittent login errors on their BEAR page. They are aware of it and are working on it now. Just wanted to let you know in case you were having trouble. :) Sabrina Carson e-Rate Coordinator Willamette Education Service District 2611 Pringle Rd SE Salem, OR 97302 P: 503.540.4495 F: 503.540.2962 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Sabrina.Carson at wesd.org Mon Jan 10 08:25:19 2011 From: Sabrina.Carson at wesd.org (Carson, Sabrina) Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2011 08:25:19 -0800 Subject: [Erate] E-rate Central News of the Week for January 10, 2011 Message-ID: <06D9FD985A42704BB0E8F483ACA3FE2E3F7B117021@miranda.wesd.org> The new Forms 470/471 are now available on the USAC website! See the attached newsletter for articles on: * Funding Status. The application window for FY 2011 will open January 11th and close March 24th. Wave FY 2009 and Wave 33 for FY 2010 will be released this week. * Form 470 Transitional Certification Issues. This week's implementation of the new version of the Form 470 will require different certification procedures for applicants who had filed, but not certified, previous Form 470s. * E-Rate Updates and Reminders. The FCC released a report on the current status of broadband deployment and use by the E-rate community. The invoice deadline for non-recurring services is January 28, 2011. The SLD addressed a humorous, but serious, question on the new gift rules. * Schools and Libraries News Brief dated January 7. Last week's News Brief reviews FY 2011 rule changes, filing procedures, and application dates. Sabrina Carson e-Rate Coordinator Willamette Education Service District 2611 Pringle Rd SE Salem, OR 97302 P: 503.540.4495 F: 503.540.2962 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Week_01_10 - SECA.doc Type: application/octet-stream Size: 92672 bytes Desc: Week_01_10 - SECA.doc URL: From Sabrina.Carson at wesd.org Tue Jan 18 16:27:28 2011 From: Sabrina.Carson at wesd.org (Carson, Sabrina) Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2011 16:27:28 -0800 Subject: [Erate] E-Rate Central News of the Week for January 17, 2011 Message-ID: <06D9FD985A42704BB0E8F483ACA3FE2E3F7B3115A8@miranda.wesd.org> See the attached newsletter for articles on: * Funding Status. The application window for FY 2011 will open January 11th and close March 24th. Wave 34 for FY 2010 will be released this week. * Online Form 470/471 Issues. The new versions of the Form 470 and Form 471 implement last week have a few bugs that need to be ironed out. * E-Rate Updates and Reminders. The USAC Board has one new and five reappointed members. The non-recurring service invoice deadline in January 28th. New nutritional standards have been proposed for school lunch and breakfast programs. * Schools and Libraries News Brief dated January 14. Last week's News includes a number of tips for filing FY 2011 Form 471 applications. Sabrina Carson e-Rate Coordinator Willamette Education Service District 2611 Pringle Rd SE Salem, OR 97302 P: 503.540.4495 F: 503.540.2962 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Week_01_17 - SECA.doc Type: application/octet-stream Size: 99328 bytes Desc: Week_01_17 - SECA.doc URL: From Sabrina.Carson at wesd.org Wed Jan 19 09:20:51 2011 From: Sabrina.Carson at wesd.org (Carson, Sabrina) Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2011 09:20:51 -0800 Subject: [Erate] Special filing URL for large applicants... Message-ID: <06D9FD985A42704BB0E8F483ACA3FE2E3F7B311864@miranda.wesd.org> For those of you that have many entities to enter on your forms and are frustrated with getting timed out and your work, USAC has created an alternate filing site with longer timeout limits. I am a little skeptical of it to be honest, so please report back to me if you have any problems with this. http://ext.sl.universalservice.org/menu.asp Sabrina Carson e-Rate Coordinator Willamette Education Service District 2611 Pringle Rd SE Salem, OR 97302 P: 503.540.4495 F: 503.540.2962 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Sabrina.Carson at wesd.org Mon Jan 24 08:24:36 2011 From: Sabrina.Carson at wesd.org (Carson, Sabrina) Date: Mon, 24 Jan 2011 08:24:36 -0800 Subject: [Erate] E-Rate Central News of the Week for January 24, 2011 Message-ID: <06D9FD985A42704BB0E8F483ACA3FE2E3F7B40A2F9@miranda.wesd.org> See the attached newsletter for articles on: * Funding Status. The application window for FY 2011 will open January 11th and close March 24th. Wave 35 for FY 2010 and Wave 79 for FY 2009 will be released this week. * Conferences and Gifts Rules. The new E-rate gift rules, particularly those pertaining to conferences, are likely to cause problems for applicants and service providers alike. * E-Rate Updates and Reminders. The FCC has clarified the requirement to submit Item 21 Attachments within the application window. The invoice deadline for non-recurring services is January 28th. The FCC released four more appeal and waiver decisions. The Search Posted function for previous versions of Form 470s appears fixed, but problems persist with the 2-in-5 Rule Tool. * Schools and Libraries News Brief dated January 21. Last week's News reviews changes to technology planning requirements. Sabrina Carson e-Rate Coordinator Willamette Education Service District 2611 Pringle Rd SE Salem, OR 97302 P: 503.540.4495 F: 503.540.2962 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Week_01_24 - SECA.doc Type: application/octet-stream Size: 101376 bytes Desc: Week_01_24 - SECA.doc URL: From Sabrina.Carson at wesd.org Thu Jan 27 13:05:37 2011 From: Sabrina.Carson at wesd.org (Carson, Sabrina) Date: Thu, 27 Jan 2011 13:05:37 -0800 Subject: [Erate] FW: USAC's Schools and Libraries News Brief SPECIAL EDITION Message-ID: <06D9FD985A42704BB0E8F483ACA3FE2E3F7B53BDA5@miranda.wesd.org> A special announcement from USAC. This is very important for some of you... Sabrina Carson e-Rate Coordinator Willamette Education Service District 2611 Pringle Rd SE Salem, OR 97302 P: 503.540.4495 F: 503.540.2962 From: SL News Brief [mailto:SLNewsBrief at lists.universalservice.org] Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2011 11:01 AM To: Carson, Sabrina Subject: USAC's Schools and Libraries News Brief SPECIAL EDITION [http://www.usac.org/_res/images/banners/usac-sl-mailing-banner-sp.gif] Basic Maintenance Clarification for FY2011 Applicants January 27, 2011 SMARTnet Ineligible for FY2011 ... New Cisco Product CiscoBase Is Eligible In the FCC's Sixth Report and Order (FCC 10-175), the FCC included the following information on unbundled warranties and Basic Maintenance of Internal Connections (BMIC): * We find that an unbundled warranty is an ineligible BMIC service because it is purchased as a type of retainer and not as an actual maintenance service. That is, BMIC contracts that require an upfront payment and that payment is required regardless of whether any service is actually performed are not eligible. * ...if applicants are able to estimate a certain number of hours per year for maintenance, based on the current life of their equipment and a history of needed repairs and upkeep, they may seek E-rate funds for upfront costs on service contracts designed to cover this estimate of repairs and upkeep. Reimbursements will be paid on the actual work performed and hours used only. For example, if a school determines it will need 30 service hours in a given year to maintain its internal connections but uses only 20 hours, the school will be reimbursed only for 20 hours even if they were approved for E-rate funds on 30 hours. Please review the following information as you prepare your Forms 470 and 471 for FY2011. These rules apply to other service providers as well, but this information is tailored to Cisco equipment and products given the volume of questions specifically about them. 1. Beginning with FY2011, SMARTnet is not eligible for E-rate discounts. SMARTnet contains an unbundled warranty, and the Sixth Report and Order deems unbundled warranties ineligible for support beginning with FY2011. Applicants cannot simply cost-allocate out the ineligible portion of SMARTnet because the Commission's rules do not allow applicants to receive support for services in a basic maintenance contract that contains both eligible and ineligible services. See para. 24 of the Third Report and Order, CC Docket No. 02-6, FCC 03-323 (2003). 2. Cisco has developed an alternate product, called CiscoBase, that excludes the ineligible unbundled warranty and therefore is eligible for support. CiscoBase allows software downloads, bug fixes, and access to a technical assistance center - all of which are eligible for FY2011. Note that one year of these services is included in the purchase price of Cisco equipment. As such, applicants should not request funding for CiscoBase for the first year after Cisco equipment is purchased. 3. Cisco has also developed a separate time and materials process for replacing defective parts and equipment. This process is eligible for discounts if applicants use an estimate of time and materials costs on their FY2011 applications for Basic Maintenance. We suggest that you contact Cisco if you have any questions about this process. 4. Cisco products purchased with a standard manufacturer's warranty for up to three years at no additional charge (i.e., included in the purchase price) are considered bundled warranties and can be eligible for E-rate discounts. 5. An applicant with an existing multiyear contract for SMARTnet that extends into FY2011 can negotiate a new contract for services that are eligible for FY2011 unless state or local procurement laws dictate otherwise. Note, however, that the applicant must post a new Form 470 that describes the desired functionality (rather than naming a specific product) and follow all program rules - and applicable state and local rules and regulations - for its competitive bidding process. Any new contract must be completed before the applicant files a Form 471. 6. For additional information on the changes to the eligibility of basic maintenance contracts and other changes to the E-rate program for FY2011, you can refer to the following documents: * Sixth Report and Order (FCC 10-175) * Order DA 10-2355, clarifying the eligibility of basic maintenance and the new E-rate gift rules adopted in the Sixth Report and Order * Public Notice DA 10-2356, providing further guidance to E-rate participants, listing effective dates of the proposals adopted in the Sixth Report and Order, and answering Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). * Third Report and Order (FCC 03-323) As more information becomes available, we will provide it in future SL News Briefs. For additional information about Cisco products, please contact Cisco directly. You may download and print copies of Schools and Libraries News Briefs on USAC's website. You may subscribe to or unsubscribe from this news brief. For program information, please visit the Schools and Libraries area of the USAC website, submit a question, or call us toll-free at 1-888-203-8100. Feel free to forward this news brief to any interested parties. Please do not reply to this email directly, as it was sent from an unattended mailbox. 1997-2011, Universal Service Administrative Company, All Rights Reserved. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Sabrina.Carson at wesd.org Mon Jan 31 09:22:43 2011 From: Sabrina.Carson at wesd.org (Carson, Sabrina) Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2011 09:22:43 -0800 Subject: [Erate] E-Rate Central News of the Week for January 31, 2011 Message-ID: <06D9FD985A42704BB0E8F483ACA3FE2E3F7B53C954@miranda.wesd.org> See the attached newsletter for articles on: * Funding Status. The application window for FY 2011 will open January 11th and close March 24th. Wave 36 for FY 2010 will be released this week. * New Directions for E-Rate. The new E-rate procurement and gift rules have more to do with business practices than with Internet technology. We question whether this re-direction of regulatory focus is in the right direction. * SMARTnet Is Being Replaced by CiscoBase. To conform with the new maintenance rules, Cisco is replacing SMARTnet with a pair of new service products. New Form 470s may be required. * E-Rate Updates and Reminders. The FCC requested additional pilot program information from EDU2011 applicants. The SLD?s DRT is now showing FY 2011 data. * Schools and Libraries News Brief dated January 28. Last week's News discusses: (a) recently released Form 486 Urgent Reminder Letters; and (b) the relationship between technology plans and Form 470s. Sabrina Carson e-Rate Coordinator Willamette Education Service District 2611 Pringle Rd SE Salem, OR 97302 P: 503.540.4495 F: 503.540.2962 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... 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