|
FY 2012, Wave 1 Funding Announced
July 2, 2012
~ List of Wave 1 Funded Applicants to be Released Later Today ~
~ Letters to be Mailed Next Week ~
The SLD has just announced that the first wave of funding commitment decision letters (FCDLs) for FY 2012 will be mailed July 10 and 911 Pennsylvania applicants are included! Why is Wave 1 being issued so late this year? USAC's was experiencing IT issues, and wanted to be certain that the funding commitment letters would be accurate.
The actual list of schools and libraries included in Wave 1 will be sent to the listserve later today. As soon as Wave 1 awardees have been announced, it's important that the Form 486 be filed ASAP and that applicants notify their vendors to let them know they want their bills to be discounted. The Form 486 may be filed as soon as you see the announcement today; you do not need to wait until you receive your FCDL next week. I will send a separate message with detailed instructions on how to submit the Form 486.
If you are not included in Wave 1, do not worry. There will be 50+ funding waves and your commitment will be forthcoming. Please see the Wave FAQs below for more information.
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 more than $5.237 billion with funds available of $2.738 billion, it is too early to determine how much funding, if any, will be available for internal connections.
* 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).
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?
A wave of letters will be mailed every week. 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.
4. Will I receive only one Funding Commitment Decision Letter?
No, not necessarily. The SLD will issue Funding Commitment Decision Letters when decisions are made about any of the requests made in your application(s). If you submitted multiple Form 471 applications for services, you will receive more than one Funding Commitment Decision Letter.
5. How is each wave formed?
There are three factors that determine how each wave is formed:
a) The FCC Rules of Priority: There are two rules of priority.
"Priority One" requests are for discounts on telecommunications services and Internet access and "Priority Two" requests are for discounts on internal connections. If "Priority One" services can be fully funded, USAC will then determine if enough money is available to fund discount requests for internal connections, or "Priority Two" services.
b) 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.
c) 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.
-- Julie
Julie Tritt Schell
PA E-rate Coordinator
717-730-7133 - o
717-730-9060 - f
jtschell@comcast.net
www.e-ratepa.org
Penn*link
| 
Back to 2012 Archives Main