Year 7 (FY 2004-2005), Wave 2 E-rate Funding Committed
~ Small Wave; Larger Wave Expected in Wave 4 ~
Message Posted May 19, 2004
Congratulations to the following 36 Pennsylvania schools and libraries that
will be receiving Year 7, Wave 2 E-rate Funding Commitment Letters, totaling
$453,123.93. A summary of each commitment is listed below, and detailed
information is posted on the SLD web site under Funding Commitments at
http://www.sl.universalservice.org/funding/. If you find that your
funding commitment letter does not arrive in a timely manner, please call
the SLD ASAP to get a replacement (888-203-8100). All Year 7 correspondence
will be sent in PINK.
** We realize AGAIN that this is a very small wave, when compared to first
waves from
previous years. We've spoken with the SLD and they have indicated that
reviewers have been working on remaining Year 6 applications and this is the
reason that so few Year 7 applications have been funded. We've been given
some indication that Wave 3 also will be small, but that Waves 4 and beyond
will be much larger. A wave will be arriving every other week until the
Year 7 funding is exhausted. This wave consists of 471 applications that
ONLY contained requests for Priority 1 services (telecom and Internet).
There are many, many more waves coming, and your commitment likely will be
in one of the upcoming waves.
To assist you in understanding the funding waves, there is a Q & A posted at
the end of this message.
A few very important notes:
* The next step is to file the Form 486 which tells the SLD 3 things:
1) that they are authorized to pay invoices (either BEAR or SPIFs)
2) that your technology plan has been approved (and by which SLD-certified
approver)
3) that you are or will be CIPA compliant by July 1, 2004. If you would like
to get a jump start and file your 486 before the funding year begins, you
may do so if:
1) your technology plan has been approved
2) you are CIPA compliant
3) services will begin by July 31, 2004
If all 3 of these statements is correct, you may file the 486 and check item
6B on the Form 486 (for early filing) and must have your Form 486 is
postmarked by July 31. If
any of these is not true, you must wait until services actually begin (after
July 1, 2004), then file your Form 486 within 120 of the service start date
or the date on the funding commitment letter, whichever is later.
The 486 should be available to be filed electronically under the "apply
online" section of the SLD's website in the next few days. You can submit
this form electronically even if you don't have a PIN number. If that's the
case, simply print out the signature page and mail that to the SLD. If you
would prefer to file the paper form, it's located on the SLD's website under
the "SLD Forms" section.
If you have any questions, please contact me at jtschell@comcast.net.
E-rate Year 7, Wave 2
Applicant Name COMMITTED AMOUNT
ALL SAINTS SCHOOL $9,785.70
ALLEGHENY INTERMEDIATE UNIT AEP $21,924.00
ALTOONA AVTS $3,600.00
ANNVILLE CLEONA SCHOOL DIST $11,384.11
BEAVERDALE PUBLIC LIBRARY $2,229.69
BELLEFONTE AREA SCHOOL DIST $23,688.00
BENTON AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT $3,960.00
BROOKVILLE AREA SCHOOL DIST $16,992.00
CARBONDALE AREA SCHOOL DIST $22,652.26
CARBONDALE PUBLIC LIBRARY $1,836.00
CARROLLTOWN PUBLIC LIBRARY $1,590.00
CENTENNIAL SCHOOL DISTRICT $51,084.00
CENTRE COUNTY LIBRARY $5,499.90
CLAIRTON CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT $25,920.00
COLUMBIA COUNTY TRAVELING LIB AUTHORITY $830.10
CONEWAGO VALLEY SCHOOL DIST $20,070.02
FAYETTE CO AREA VOC-TECH SCH $17,673.60
FOREST CITY REG SCHOOL DIST $15,015.07
FRANKLIN AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT $4,662.00
GLEN MILLS SCHOOLS $3,231.90
GREENWOOD SCHOOL DISTRICT $6,573.09
HAMLIN MEMORIAL LIBRARY $1,944.00
HASTINGS PUBLIC LIBRARY $1,772.28
HOLT MEMORIAL LIBRARY $3,039.11
LANCASTER COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL $9,108.29
MINERSVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY $2,301.60
NATIVITY BVM HIGH SCHOOL $16,577.46
NORWIN SCHOOL DISTRICT $62,624.40
OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP SCH $431.76
SS SIMON AND JUDE SCHOOL $1,800.00
ST ANDREW SCHOOL $1,439.28
ST GERTRUDE SCHOOL $3,226.98
ST MICHAEL'S SCHOOL FOR BOYS $73,294.85
ST STEPHEN SCHOOL $2,369.40
UNION LIBRARY COMPANY-HATBORO $1,073.08
WINDBER PUBLIC LIBRARY INC $1,920.00
Total, Wave 2 $453,123.93
FAQ's on Waves
* This wave only contains funding for priority one services --
telecommunications services and Internet access. There is sufficient funding
for all approved Priority 1 requests, however, given total demand of nearly
$4.2 billion with funds available of $2.25 billion, it is too early to
determine whether there will be enough funding available for internal
connections for all applicants.
* If you disagree with a funding commitment decision, an appeal letter MUST
be received at the SLD within 60 days of the date that is on the decision
letter (not the letter's postmark date). There are no exceptions to this
rule. Guidance on submitting appeals can be found on the PA E-rate website
at: http://www.pde.state.pa.us/ed_tech/cwp/view.asp?a=3&Q=74280
1. How will I be notified of my E-rate Funding Commitment?
The SLD will be sending out Funding Commitment Decision Letters to inform
applicants of their E-rate discounts. These letters will be mailed in waves,
rather than waiting for all applications to be fully processed before
issuing any letters. Only those applicants who submitted complete requests
within the "application window" will be receiving Funding Commitment
Decision letters.
2. When will the first wave of letters be sent and how frequently will the
waves of letters be sent?
Every other week a wave of letters will be issued to applicants. As each
wave is sent, the SLD will announce its size and post state-by-state
information on their Web Site.
3. How will I know which wave my letter is in?
There is no definitive way to know in advance which wave a particular
Funding Commitment Decision Letter might be in. The SLD will post
information about each wave on their public Web Site the first business day
after it has been mailed. To obtain a general sense of the timing of your
funding commitment, please see questions 7-9.
4. Will I receive only one Funding Commitment Decision Letter?
No, not necessarily. The SLD will issue Funding Commitment Decision Letters
according to the FCC's rules of priority (See questions 5 -6 for details)
when answers are known about any of the requests made in your
application(s). If you submitted multiple applications for services, you
will receive more than one Funding Commitment Decision Letter. If you
submitted only one application for discounts on all three types of
service -- telecommunications service, internet access, and internal
connections -- you may receive more than one Funding Commitment Decision
Letter.
5. How is each wave formed?
There are three factors determining how each wave is formed:
* The FCC Rules of Priority: There are two rules of priority.
"Priority One" approved requests are for discounts on telecommunications
services and Internet access and "Priority Two" approved requests are for
discounts on internal connections. If "Priority One" services can be fully
funded, discount requests for internal connection, or "Priority Two"
services, are funded beginning with the highest need at the 90% discount
level.
* Successful Data Entry: The date when the application was successfully
entered into the SLD database will also determine when a Funding Commitment
Decision Letter may be sent.
* Complete Processing: Before a funding commitment can be made, the SLD must
complete processing of your application, including the Program Integrity
Assurance (PIA) review process. The SLD has set aside funds to cover all
telecommunications and Internet access requests received inside the filing
window. They will consider "priority two" requests - Internal connections
requests - if there are remaining funds available.
6. If funds are available for internal connections requests below the 90%
discount level, how will SLD make these funding decisions?
Consistent with FCC rules, the SLD will consider Internal Connections
requests below the 90% discount level, by discount level - 89%, 88%, 87%,
etc.
7. I sent my Form 471 in to the SLD electronically -- very early in the
process last November. How will that affect the timing of my letter?
The timing will depend on how much time your application spent in Program
Integrity Assurance review. If there were no questions about eligibility or
discount level or if you answered such questions promptly, AND if your
requests were for "Priority One" services, then your letter may be in the
first waves. Otherwise, you will receive a decision about your funding
commitment in one of the later waves.
8. I filed my Form 471 on paper and it spent a long time in Problem
Resolution. I received a number of phone calls and faxes from SLD offices in
Kansas. How will that affect the timing of my letter?
The date of successful entry into the data system is one of the three key
factors for forming the waves. The Problem Resolution process was focused
completely on readying applications for data entry, so a lengthy Problem
Resolution process would mean a later data entry date and therefore later
delivery for review by the Program Integrity Assurance team. If your
application didn't require lengthy PIA review, you may still receive your
letter in on of the earlier waves.
9. I have some issues outstanding with your Program Integrity Assurance team
based in New Jersey. The extra documentation they're looking for might take
me several more days to complete. How will that affect the timing of my
letter?
To receive a funding commitment, applications must have completed Program
Integrity Assurance review, so you won't receive your letter until we've
resolved any outstanding PIA issues with you. The SLD has, however, set
aside funds to cover your telecommunications and internet access requests,
and have included your internal connections requests in their working
estimate of demand in your discount band, so that your PIA review won't
affect your actual funding, only the timing of your Funding Commitment
Decision letter.
Julie Tritt Schell
jtschell@comcast.net
(717) 730.7133 (voice)
(717) 730.9060 (fax)
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