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February 28, 2014
FY2014 WINDOW COUNTDOWN
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Days to window close
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26
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FCC Forms 470 filed to date
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34,913
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FCC Forms 471 filed to date
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9,341
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Online Item 21 attachments filed to date
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20,606
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TIP OF THE WEEK: Review yesterday's Special Edition News Brief for application filing tips and follow them. The review of your application can proceed much more quickly when you have submitted all of the required information correctly and completely.
Commitments for Funding Years 2013 and 2012
Funding Year 2013. USAC will release Funding Year (FY) 2013 Wave 41 Funding Commitment Decision Letters (FCDLs) March 5. This wave includes commitments for approved Priority 1 (Telecommunications Services and Internet Access) requests at all discount levels and denials for Priority 2 (Internal Connections and Basic Maintenance) requests at 90 percent and below. As of February 28, FY2013 commitments total just under $1.91 billion.
Funding Year 2012. USAC will release FY2012 Wave 79 FCDLs March 6. This wave includes commitments for approved Priority 2 requests at 90 percent and denials at 89 percent and below. As of February 28, FY2012 commitments total just under $2.86 billion.
On the day the FCDLs are mailed, you can check to see if you have a commitment by using USAC's Automated Search of Commitments tool.
Top Ten Tips for FY2014 Applicants
1. Get an FCC Registration Number (FCC RN) if you don't yet have one. FCC RNs are required for Block 1 entities (Billed Entities). They are not required for Block 4 entities (recipients of service). If you do not have an FCC RN, you can obtain one from the Commission Registration System (CORES) section of the FCC website.
2. Review your entity name, number, address, and category in the Search for BEN Information tool and change any incorrect information. The Client Service Bureau (CSB) can process changes to entity number information. You can contact CSB by phone at 1-888-203-8100. However, if you have more than two entities to update, please gather the information requested in the Entity Numbers guidance document and either Submit a Question to provide the information (choose "Entity Number" from the Topic Inquiry menu and "Other" on the subsequent screen) or fax the information to 1-888-276-8736.
3. Request entity numbers for any new entities. You will need an entity number for the Billed Entity in Block 1 and for each recipient of service in Block 4. Contact CSB as above with requests for new entity numbers.
4. Locate your NCES or FSCS codes. NCES codes identify individual schools by state, school district, and school; FSCS codes identify libraries by state, library system, and outlet/branch. You can search for your code starting with the Data Tools page of the NCES website, or you can contact your state department of education or state library agency for assistance.
If you cannot find your code when you are ready to complete your FCC Form 471, you will be allowed to bypass that entry. However, school entities without NCES codes will not show up in an entity search for "all the schools in a school district" and must be entered manually. You may also be asked for this information during the review of your application if it is missing.
5. Locate the Service Provider Identification Number (SPIN) for each of your service providers. Service providers file an FCC Form 498 to obtain a SPIN and provide or update their contact and banking information. You enter the SPIN for the service provider in Item 13 of each Block 5 funding request. If your service provider has multiple SPINs, check to make sure you are using the correct one.
You can search for SPINs using the Search for SPIN Information tool on the USAC website.
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If you are not sure of the exact legal name of your service provider, entering the first few letters of the name followed by a percent sign (%) on the search page will return more results.
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The tool has a "Doing Business As" column to help you identify the correct service provider if there has been a merger or acquisition.
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You can use the contact information in the tool to contact the service provider if there are multiple results and you are not sure which SPIN to use.
During the last week of the window, USAC will engage an "interim SPIN" (143666666) to allow applicants to complete a funding request for any service provider that has not yet received a SPIN. Applicants can then provide the correct SPIN during application review.
6. Check the FCC Form 470 application number you intend to cite on each funding request. The FCC Form 470 you cite must be the "establishing FCC Form 470," i.e., the form that formed the basis for the competitive bidding process that led to the selection of the service provider and services on the funding request.
If you have not yet certified your FCC Form 470, we suggest that you do so now. (See below for online and paper certification guidance.)
7. Review the information requested in Block 5 about broadband and other connectivity services. You should review last week's SL News Brief if you have any questions about the information required in the new Item 24.
8a. FOR LIBRARIES - have the required student counts ready for your Block 4 worksheet(s). The discount for a library is calculated by dividing the total number of students eligible for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) in the public school district in which the library is located by the total number of students in that school district. Many states post this information on a website, or you can ask your public school district. Note that a library building uses the information from the public school district in which the building is physically located.
8b. FOR SCHOOLS - have your demographic information ready for your Block 4 worksheet(s). For each Block 4 recipient of service, you must indicate if one or more of the following apply:
9. Certify your forms. From the Apply Online page, you can certify your FCC Form 470 and/or your FCC Form 471 if you have not already done so. To certify a form you filed online, click the Certify Complete button in the appropriate column. Enter your application number and security code. Note: if you filed your FCC Form 470 using the expert version (i.e., you clicked the Create Form 470 button not the Form 470 Interview button) leave the security code field blank.
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Click on Electronic Certification if you have a Personal Identification Number (PIN). The certification page will appear. Enter your PIN, check the box to affirm your compliance, and click the Done button. You should print out a copy of the page that follows.
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Click on Paper Certification if you do not have or cannot locate your PIN. Print a copy of the certification page that appears, sign and date it, and send it to USAC by delivery service or US Mail. You should keep a copy of your submission and proof of postmark or delivery.
10. Submit your Item 21 attachment. The Item 21 attachment is a window filing requirement. For assistance in preparing and submitting your Item 21 attachment, refer to the Item 21 Attachments guidance document on the USAC website and yesterday's Special Edition SL News Brief.
NOTE: If you intend to file your Item 21 attachment online, you must click "Submit" on the last page after you have entered all of your information. Clicking "Save & Exit" saves – but does not submit – your Item 21 attachment.
Contact the Client Service Bureau (CSB) if you have questions.
You can call CSB at (888) 203-8100, Submit a Question online, or fax your question to (888) 276-8736.
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