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November 14, 2014

Please continue to check the E-rate Modernization Order web page for links to additional information.

TIP OF THE WEEK: If you are filing an FCC Form 470 online now for FY2015, note that you must choose the current ("FY2014") funding year in Item 2. You should then indicate "FY2015" in the appropriate text box in Item 13 so that both USAC and potential bidders understand your intent.

Commitments for Funding Years 2014, 2013, and 2012

Funding Year 2014. USAC will release Funding Year (FY) 2014 Wave 28 Funding Commitment Decision Letters (FCDLs) on November 19. This wave includes commitments for approved Priority 1 (Telecommunications Services and Internet Access) requests at all discount levels. As of November 14, FY2014 commitments total over $2.08 billion.

Funding Year 2013. USAC will release FY2013 Wave 74 FCDLs on November 20. This wave includes commitments for approved Priority 1 requests at all discount levels. As of November 14, FY2013 commitments total over $2.13 billion.

Funding Year 2012. USAC will release FY2012 Wave 96 FCDLs on November 18. This wave includes commitments for approved Priority 2 (Internal Connections and Basic Maintenance) requests at 90 percent and denials at 89 percent and below. As of November 14, 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.

FY2014 FCC Form 486 Deadline Reminder

On November 19, USAC will issue just over 1,400 FCC Form 486 Urgent Reminder Letters for FY2014 Funding Request Numbers (FRNs). These letters are sent to remind affected applicants that their FCC Forms 486 appear to be late, and that they have 20 days from the date of the letter to file and certify their forms.

  • An FCC Form 486 appears to be late for an FRN if no FCC Form 486 has been certified and it has been more than 120 days after the date of the FCDL or more than 120 days after the service start date reported on the FCC Form 471, whichever is later.
  • An FCC Form 486 filed online but not certified will still cause a letter to be issued. You must certify your form before the deadline to avoid a penalty (see below).
  • Going forward, USAC will issue these letters daily for FY2014 as new FRNs meet the above conditions.
  • USAC will also continue to issue these letters for FRNs from previous funding years that meet the above conditions.

If the date of your FCDL is before July 15, 2014, and your service start date is also before July 15, 2014, you must file an FCC Form 486 on or before December 9, 2014. Going forward, you should file your FCC Form 486 after you receive your FCDL and services start – in any case, no later than the deadline featured in your FCC Form 486 Urgent Reminder Letter.

Remember that, if your FCC Form 486 is received or postmarked after the deadline, USAC will reset your service start date to the date 120 days before the date your form was received or postmarked, which may result in a reduction in your funding commitment. For more information, refer to FCC Form 486 Filing and the Deadlines tool on the USAC website.

For helpful tips on filing FCC Form 486, please refer to the FCC Form 486 video presentations in USAC's Online Learning Library.

More on Entity Numbers

In the October 31 SL News Brief, we covered basic information on entity numbers. This week we will discuss specific situations where new entity numbers may be required.

In general, each separate school or library building should have an entity number. However, you should refer to the guidance below to determine whether to request an entity number.

Buildings located on the same campus

If several school or library buildings are located on the same campus – i.e., no public right-of-way crosses between the buildings – and all of the buildings are considered part of that school or library, you do not need a separate entity number for each building.

  • However, if one of the buildings serves multiple entities – for example, a separate cafeteria facility on a high school campus that functions as a central kitchen for all of the schools in the school district – that entity needs its own entity number regardless of whether the buildings are separated by a public right-of-way.
  • If several schools are located in the same building – for example, if a middle school and a high school share a building and they are considered separate schools by their state – each school should have its own entity number.

Single school with multiple locations

If one school has multiple locations (in other words, a school considered to be a single school by the state consists of multiple buildings separated by one or more public rights of way), each location must have a separate entity number.

School or library buildings under construction

A school or library building that is under construction can receive discounted services.

  • If the building is located on an existing campus, follow the guidance above.
  • If the state considers a school or library building under construction to be an existing entity (for example, a new building to house a library that now occupies a different building), the entity number from the original building carries over to the new building. You should update the contact information for the school or library by following the guidance on the USAC website on Entity Numbers.
  • If the state considers the building to be a new school or library, you should call the Client Service Bureau at 1-888-203-8100 or Submit a Question to request a new entity number for that school or library building.

Non-instructional facilities

A non-instructional facility (NIF) is a school building without classrooms or a library building without public areas. (Some school NIFs contain one or more classrooms – see below for more information.) With some exceptions, every NIF must have an entity number.

  • A school or library NIF located on the same campus and serving only that school or library does not need a separate entity number.
  • An administrative office or wing located in a school or library is not considered a NIF but rather part of that school or library building.
  • Administrative offices that serve multiple schools may be located on the campus of an individual school. However, they are considered NIFs and should have their own entity numbers because they serve more than just the school on whose campus they are located (see above).
  • NIFs can be on property owned by a school district or library, or they may simply be rented space in a building such as a town hall or a commercial building.
  • Examples of school NIFs include – but are not limited to – administrative buildings, school bus barns and garages, cafeteria offices, and facilities associated with athletic activities.
  • Examples of library NIFs include – but are not limited to – administrative buildings, bookmobile garages, interlibrary loan facilities, and library technology centers.

In some cases, a school facility can be considered a NIF even though it has one or more classrooms. For example, a school district administrative building may have a classroom that is used by a specific group of students or by a population of students that changes from day to day. Even if a school NIF has one or more classrooms, it is still considered a NIF.

 

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