March 11, 2016

Commitments for Funding Year 2015

Funding Year 2015. USAC will release Funding Year (FY) 2015 Wave 41 Funding Commitment Decision Letters (FCDLs) on March 17. This wave includes commitments for approved requests for all service types and at all discount levels. As of March 11, FY2015 commitments total over $3.11 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.

USAC to Update Profile Information for Certain Entities

We have heard from some applicants that the EPC entity profile information for some schools and libraries is not showing a system-generated urban/rural status. In addition, we know information in fields that are new this year – part-time students, peak part-time students, alternative discount method, and public/private school – will be missing for all schools and libraries unless you have entered the new information in your profile.

This missing urban/rural status information is preventing libraries and consortia from being able to proceed with the FCC Form 471 application process. Therefore, in order to correct this, USAC will be performing manual updates to automatically generate the urban/rural status for those entities where this information is missing.

During this process, USAC will also make the following entries in the four new fields if they are blank:

• Zero ("0") for the total number of part-time students.
• Zero ("0") for the total number of peak part-time students.
• "None" for the alternative discount method.
• "Public" or "private" for the public/private school field, as appropriate. (USAC will reach out to the applicant if the correct entry is not obvious.)

We strongly urge you to review all of your entities' profile information before you file a program form. You can update the information that is incorrect – including information USAC has changed. You can update an address yourself by going to the school's profile page, clicking "Manage Organization," adding a space at the end of your street address, and clicking the "Verify My Address" button. You can also indicate a different urban/rural status by clicking the appropriate radio button under the "User Entered Urban/Rural Status."

FCC Form 471 Download Tool Available for FY2016

Users can now access information on FY2016 FCC Forms 471 through the new FCC Form 471 Download Tool. Users can select a state, and the search will return data from all FCC Forms 471 filed for FY2016 for that state. A few fields – such as school and library attributes and cited FCC Form 470 application numbers from previous funding years – are not yet available but will be added to the tool at a later date.

The search results will appear in a single Excel file with the following tabs:

• Basic Information
• Consultants
• Discount Calculations
• FRN
• FRN Line Items
• Recipients of Service
• Connectivity Information

To view a single form, click the appropriate Application Number in the first column of the Basic Information tab.

If you access this tool from the Search Tools page, note that there are separate tools available to download form information and to view forms from previous funding years.

Additional Common Questions Received by CSB

We will continue to send out common questions received by our Client Service Bureau (CSB) along with their answers in SL News Briefs to help applicants trying to navigate and file program forms in the E-rate Productivity Center (EPC).

Q. I am a library system. How do I make sure my libraries, non-instructional facilities (NIFs), and annexes are correct and complete in EPC?

A. To review your list of libraries and NIFs, go to your landing page and select your library name from the "My Entities" section. TIP: To see ten libraries and NIFs at the same time and speed up your review, there is another option: Click the library system name from the "My Entities" section and choose "Additional Information" from the left-hand menu, then "Related Organizations" from the Category dropdown, then "Related Entities" from the Relationship Type dropdown.

• To review the information for an individual library, click on that library's name. TIP: Right-click on the name to open a separate window or tab for that library so that you can close that window or tab when you are done and still access your list of related entities.
• To edit the information for that library, click the "Manage Organization" button at the top of the page. You can then edit or add the appropriate entries in that entity's profile. You must have the following:
  • An urban or rural status for the library.
  • The square footage of the library.
  • One and only one library designated as the main branch. For the main branch, you must also designate the public school district in which that library is located.
• To add or remove a library from your list of entities, you must contact the Client Service Bureau (CSB) at (888) 203-8100.

An annex is associated with a library, not a library system. An annex to a library is considered part of that library (not a separate library), but separated from that library by a public right-of-way. In the past, an annex was required to have a separate entity number, primarily for the purposes of establishing a second service delivery address.

• To review your list of annexes, go to the library system landing page and click the name of the library with the annex. You will go to that library's profile page. Choose "Additional Information" and from the Category dropdown choose "Annexes."
• To add or delete an annex, return to the library's profile page. Choose "Additional Information" and then "Manage Annexes." Click the button marked "Manage Annexes" at the top of the page. You can choose "Add New Annex" or "Remove Existing Annex" and provide the information requested.
• If you create an annex but that entity already has an entity number, you can ask CSB to remove that separate entity from your library system. However, we suggest that you leave that entity active (do not close it).

Q. I am a school district. How do I make sure my schools, non-instructional facilities (NIFs), and annexes are correct and complete in EPC?

A. To review your list of schools and NIFs, go to your landing page and select your school name from the "My Entities" section. TIP: To see ten schools and NIFs at the same time and speed up your review, there is another option: Click the school district name from the "My Entities" section and choose "Additional Information" from the left-hand menu, then "Related Organizations" from the Category dropdown, then "Related Entities" from the Relationship Type dropdown.

• To review the information for an individual school, click on that school's name. TIP: Right-click on the name to open a separate window or tab for that school so that you can close that window or tab when you are done and still access your list of related entities.
• To edit the information for that school, click the "Manage Organization" button at the top of the page. You can then edit or add the appropriate entries in that entity's profile. You must have the following:
  • An urban or rural status for the school. You can enter this manually if the system entry is incorrect or missing.
  • The number of full-time students and the number of students eligible for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). NOTE: If you participate in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), provide the number of full-time students and the approved direct certification percentage.
  • The total numbers of part-time and peak part-time students for the school. The number of peak part-time students is the maximum number of part-time students that use your facilities at any one time during the day. The system adds the total number of students and the number of peak part-time students to calculate the school's Category Two budget, as this number would represent the maximum capacity necessary for the maximum number of students using the services at any one time during the day.
• To add or remove a school from your list of entities, you must contact CSB.

An annex is associated with a school, not a school district. An annex to a school is considered part of that school (not a separate school), but separated from that school by a public right-of-way. In the past, an annex was required to have a separate entity number, primarily for the purposes of establishing a second service delivery address.

• To review your list of annexes, go to the school district landing page and click the name of the school with the annex. You will go to that school's profile page. Choose "Additional Information" and from the Category dropdown choose "Annexes."
• To add or delete an annex, return to the school's profile page. Choose "Additional Information" and then "Manage Annexes." Click the button marked "Manage Annexes" at the top of the page. You can choose "Add New Annex" or "Remove Existing Annex" and provide the information requested.
• If you create an annex but that entity already has an entity number, you can ask CSB to remove that separate entity from your school district. However, we suggest that you leave that entity active (do not close it).

NOTE: Libraries and consortia depend on school districts to update their school profile information in order for the libraries and consortia to complete the discount calculation section of their FCC Forms 471. Please review your list of schools to verify that your list is complete and that, at a minimum, the information detailed above appears in your schools' profiles.

Q. I am a consortium. How do I make sure my list of members is correct and complete in EPC?

A. To review your list of consortium members, go to your landing page and select your consortium name from the "My Entities" section. From your consortium profile page, choose "Additional Information" from the left-hand menu, then "Related Organizations" from the Category dropdown, then "Consortia Members" from the Relationship Type dropdown. The resulting page features your list of members.

• To review the information for an individual member, click on that member's name. TIP: Right-click on the name to open a separate window or tab for that member so that you can close that window or tab when you are done and still access your list of members.

At the present time, you cannot edit the information for individual members. However, you can add or delete members using the "Related Actions" menu on the left-hand side of your consortium profile page.

To add one or more members:

• Click "Related Actions," then "Manage Organization Relationships," then the button marked "Add Consortium Member." You must select an organization type (library, library system, school district, or school) and you can limit your search by Billed Entity Number (BEN), name, or state. TIP: If you need to add many members from your state, specify only the state.
• Identify the member(s) you want to add from the search results by checking the box to the left of the member name(s) in the Add Relationship(s) section. If you have more than one page of results, you can page through one screen at a time and continue to check boxes to identify all of the members you want to add.
• Click the green "Submit" button. You will be prompted to confirm that you want to proceed with the change.

To delete one or more members:

• Click "Related Actions," then "Manage Organization Relationships," then the red button marked "Remove Organization Relationships." You must select a state, and you can limit your search by BEN, name, and/or zip code. TIP: If you have many members to remove, search only by state.
• Identify the member(s) you want to delete by checking the box to the left of the member name(s) in the Remove Relationship(s) section. If you have more than one page of results, you can page through one screen at a time and continue to check boxes to identify all of the members you want to delete.
• Click the green "Submit" button. You will be prompted to confirm that you want to proceed with the change.

Last Week in "File Along with Me":

• Set your evaluation criteria. Read More
• Let's talk state master contracts and mini-bids. Read More
• Keep records of everything! Plus, a note on gifts. Read More

"File Along with Me" is a blog that covers the E-rate Program application process step-by-step, and serves as a schedule you can follow to manage your application. Ready to join us? Read the Blog