USAC’s Schools and Libraries Division hosts monthly service provider conference calls, providing information and guidance for vendors participating in the E-rate program. Highlights from the December 4, 2013 service provider call include:
FY 2014 Form 471 Filing Window – USAC has announced that the FY 2014 Form 471 application window will open at noon EST on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014, and close at 11:59 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, March 26, 2014. The Form 471 filing window will be open for 77 days. The last date for applicants to post a Form 470 and start the competitive bidding and procurement cycle is Feb. 26, 2014, as FCC rules dictate that Form 470 responses need to be evaluated for a minimum of 28 days. If you request Priority Two services, you will need to have a signed and dated contract by the time the Form 471 is submitted, and you also need to remember that the Item 21 Description of Services Attachment will need to be submitted by the time the Form 471 window closes.
Update on Revised Form 470 – The revised Form 470 is being reviewed by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and may be released this month.
Invoicing Update – Payments in the last 30 days totaled $149.6 million against $200 million in requests and the SLD processed service provider invoices for 1,482 service providers.. 94% of the invoices were processed within 30 days.
Top Denial Explanations:
- Spin not registered;
- Billed outside funding year;
- Total commitment paid;
- Duplicate billing;
- No form 486 filed
Q&A
Question: The "Cisco E-Rate Services Bundle" consists of the following components: Cisco Base for the first year is included in the price of the equipment and it also includes 1 year of technical assistance center support, software upgrade support for bug fixes, web based support through Cisco's site – Cisco.com; and 3 Years of NBD (Next Business Day) hardware replacement at no charge. This is under review with the FCC – for going on 3 E-rate funding years. Can we bid these services until a decision is made?
Answer: Service providers can bid on these services, but it would be advisable to put this on a separate funding request and cost allocation may be required as the FCC has not determined the full eligibility of this service.
Note: The information above is not the official minutes from the call, but simply notes from Funds For Learning.
