The FCC Office of Inspector General (OIG) released their semi-annual report to Congress outlining activities from October 1, 2009 to March 31, 2010. During this time, the OIG continues to focus intensively on investigations, audits, and Universal Service Fund oversight.
E-rate stakeholders will see increased audits and additional scrutiny of their applications due to the OIG's belief that the E-rate program continues to be a "prime target for fraud". The OIG is working in conjunction with the Department of Justice, Department of Education and the Department of the Interior.
The OIG is in the process of finalizing an audit that was conducted on the USAC Schools and Libraries Board. The information concerning that audit should be released in the next reporting period. The OIG is also finalizing an audit on a large California school district.
The OIG specified in the semi-annual report that they have had successful prosecutions, indictments and restitution of Universal Service Funds. The links below provide further information of the activities that were highlighted in the report:
- AT&T Missouri Agrees to Settlement in E-rate Case.
- Houston ISD Settles E-rate Fraud Case.
- Leonard LaDuron Debarred for Three Years.
Funds For Learning created a searchable audit database where stakeholders can view past audits and identify which entities have been "compliant", "generally compliant" and "non-compliant" and actually read the decisions in order to become more informed about E-rate compliance issues. Funds For Learning also created an audit resource guide for stakeholders to better understand how to be prepared for an audit. These items are available in the "Tools" section for our E-rate Manager subscribers.
For more information on audit preparations or the audit tools available in E-rate Manager, please contact Funds For Learning at 405-341-4140 or via email at info@fundsforlearning.com
