[Erate] E-Rate News for the Week of 10/20 - 10/24/2003

Sun Oct 26 10:35:03 PST 2003

E-Rate News for the Week of 10/20 - 10/24/2003 

*	FY 2002 Invoice Deadlines
*	FY 2003 Form 486 Deadlines
*	
*	The E-Rate News for the Week, prepared by E-Rate Central, is
sponsored by the Council of Chief State School Officers ("CCSSO
<http://www.ccsso.org>") and made possible by a grant from the AT&T
Foundation <http://www.att.com/foundation/>.  Official SLD news is
highlighted on the homepage of the 'SLDs Web site
<http://www.sl.universalservice.org> (http://www.sl.universalservice.org).
Additional information is on the State E-Rate Coordinators' Alliance ("SECA
<http://www.e-ratecentral.com>") Web site (<http://www.e-ratecentral.com/>).
*	
*	FY 2002 Invoice Deadlines
*	
*	Invoices, whether they be applicant filed BEAR (Billed Entity
Applicant Reimbursement) forms (also called Form 472s) or SPI (Service
Provider Invoice) forms (also called Form 474s), must be postmarked no later
than 120 days after the last date to receive service.  No funding will be
provided on an invoice submitted after its deadline (see
<http://www.sl.universalservice.org/reference/InvoicingDeadlines.asp>). 
*	
	*	For most FY 2002 recurring services, with a last service
date of June 30, 2003, the 120-day deadline is October 28.  The comparable
invoice deadline for non-recurring services, with the last service date of
September 30, 2003, is January 28, 2004.
	*	
*	There are several circumstances under which an invoice deadline for
a specific funding request can be extended, namely:
*	(1)	For a non-recurring service, the last service date can be
extended for another year (i.e., until September 30th of the following year)
in a situation involving a late funding commitment, SPIN change, or service
substitution.  Under the 120-day invoice rule, an extended service date
translates into an equally extended invoice deadline.
*	(2)	The last service date for a recurring service cannot be
extended but, in the event of a SPIN change, the invoice deadline will be
extended 120 days beyond the SPIN change approval date.  SPIN changes for
recurring FY 2002 services can be filed up until October 28, the nominal
invoice deadline.
*	(3)	Deadlines for either type of service can be extended under
various conditions by filing an Invoice Deadline Extension Request.  A
request can be filed up until the original invoice deadline.
*	 
*	Revised invoice deadlines are listed on the SLD Web site, by funding
year, in the FRN Extension tables
(<http://www.sl.universalservice.org/utilities/FRN_CurFundExt.asp>).   
*	
*	FY 2003 Form 486 Deadlines

	Applicants funded in FY 2003 must file their Form 486s within 120
days of the start of service (normally July 1, 2003) or the date of the
Funding Commitment Decision Letter ("FCDL"), whichever is later.  The
deadline for most applicants funded in Waves 1-6 is October 29.  Applicants
funded in subsequent waves, have later Form 486 deadlines.  Here are the
next few:

	FCDL Date	486 Deadline	
Wave 7	07/14/2003	11/11/2003	
Wave 8	07/28/2003	11/25/2003	
Wave 9	08/11/2003	12/09/2003	
Wave 10	08/25/2003	12/23/2003	

The penalty for missing a Form 486 deadline is a reduction in funding.  If,
for example, an applicant funded before Wave 7 does not file the associated
Form 486 until November 30, the SLD will adjust the start date to 120 days
prior to the postmark date (i.e., to August 2, 2003).  For recurring
services, this means that the SLD would reduce the funding by one month
(i.e., to 11/12ths of the originally approved amount); for non-recurring
services, the SLD would deny funding for any equipment installed in July.

	Libraries that filed Form 486s for Internet Access and/or Internal
Connection services before the effective date of the Supreme Court's CIPA
decision in mid-August are reminded that their earlier Form 486s have been
cancelled and that new Form 486s (using the August 2003 version) must be
filed within the same deadlines.

	Applicants who mailed Form 486s to the SLD may not have yet received
confirmation that their Forms have been processed.  The annual Form 486
processing backlog in October was compounded this year by the need to revise
the Form.  This shut down the SLD's online entry system for half of August
and a good portion of September.

	Applicants, who have not yet received a Form 486 Notification
Letter, but wish to confirm that the SLD has at least received their Form
486s should take one or more of the following steps:
	(1)	Check the application status using the SLD's Funding Request
Data Retrieval Tool
(<http://www.sl.universalservice.org/funding/opendatasearch/search1.asp>).
If the data field labeled "Service Start Date as Shown on the Form 486" is
blank, it means that the SLD has not yet processed a Form 486 for that
specific FRN.
	(2)	Call the SLD's Client Service Bureau (888-203-8100).  Basic
Block 1 data from a mailed Form 486 is entered upon receipt.  The CSB should
be able to tell if a specific applicant's Form 486 has been received.
	(3)	When in doubt, file another Form 486.  At worst, a duplicate
Form 486 will be filed, and one will have to be cancelled.  More likely,
however, an error message will be generated if an online user tries to enter
a specific FRN in Block 3 that duplicates a FRN that appeared on an earlier
Form 486 that has been processed.  

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	Disclaimer: This newsletter may contain unofficial information on
prospective E-rate developments and/or may reflect E-Rate Central's own
interpretations of E-rate practices and regulations. Such information is
provided for planning and guidance purposes only. It is not meant, in any
way, to supplant official announcements and instructions provided by either
the SLD or the FCC.

Patricia K. Middelburg
Project Manager and State E-rate Coordinator
Department of Administrative Services
Information Resources Management Division
1225 Ferry Street SE, 1st Floor
Salem, OR 97301-2556
Telephone:  503.373.1365
Fax:  503.378.3795
pat.middelburg at das.state.or.us