Answers to PIA Questions Re: TN Test
Message Posted March 8, 2007
As many of you know, PIA reviewers are required to ask the "Tennessee Test" questions of every applicant that has requested Telecommunications Services or Internet Access where that request contains vendor-owned equipment located on the applicant's property (often referred to as On-Premise, Priority 1 Equipment). These questions are designed to make sure the applicant is not trying to obtain equipment through a lease-purchase plan or equipment that isn't truly integral to the actual services the vendor is providing.
But the TN test questions are worded in a way that confuses most applicants and sometimes has resulted in the denial of requests. So, assuming that all PA applicants receiving these questions are actually receiving the on-premise, priority 1 equipment as part of your eligible Priority 1 service bundle, below are the TN test questions, and the correct answers. Keep in mind that you should use these answers only if they are accurate to your situation. They are being provided just to make sure you don't get caught in the counter-intuitive wording that typically invokes wrong responses.
As a heads up, the PIA reviewer also will request the exact make, model and quantity of the vendor equipment that's located on your property. In most cases, you won't know this information and will have to obtain it from the vendor.
1. Is the leased on-premise equipment an integral component of a Telecommunications or Internet Access service? YES
2. Will the leased on-premise equipment be provided by the same service provider that provides the associated Telecommunications Service or Internet Access service? YES
3. Does responsibility for maintaining the equipment rest with the service provider? YES
4. Will ownership of the equipment transfer to the school or library in the future? NO
5. Does the relevant contract or lease include an option for the applicant to purchase the equipment? NO
6. Will the leased equipment be used at the applicant site for any purpose other than receipt of the eligible Telecommunications Services or Internet Access of which it is a part? NO
7. Will the school’s or library’s internal communication systems (e.g., LAN, video, phone, or other communication system) continue to work if the component is disconnected? YES
8. Are there any contractual, technical, or other limitations between you and the service provider that states that the equipment is exclusively for your use and not to be shared with other customers? NO
For the SLD's full guidance on On-Premise, Priority 1 Equipment, see http://www.usac.org/sl/applicants/step06/on-premise-priority1-equipment.aspx.
If you have any questions about the TN test, or any other PIA question that you're not sure how to answer, please e-mail me at jtschell@comcast.net.
-- Julie
Julie Tritt Schell
717-730-7133 - o
717-730-9060 - f
jtschell@comcast.net
www.e-ratepa.org
Penn*link
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