E-rate Commentary

by Nicholas Shipley

November 11, 2010

Forms 471: Waiting Until the Day After Tomorrow

Oscar Wilde once said, "I never put off till tomorrow what I can do the day after." It appears that many E-rate applicants share this philosophy. A Funds For Learning...

by Verlyne Jolley

November 4, 2010

Appearances are Everything

One has to ask with the recent shift and focus of the USAC 2010 Fall Applicant Training sessions how often schools are bribed by service providers with the promise of...

by Brian Stephens

October 29, 2010

Do as I Say, Not as I Do

According to the parent of the Universal Service Administrative Company, unbundled warranties are not necessary to maintain "the degree of reliability ordinarily provided in the marketplace". Why, therefore, would the...

by Alex Fugairon

September 24, 2010

Historical Day for E-rate

On September 23, the FCC announced some of the most sweeping changes to the E-rate since the inception of the program. Out of the announcement emerged four major themes; providing...

September 16, 2010

Service Certifications-System Flaw?

An applicant may request that USAC generate a Service Certification allowing the applicant to flag a specific invoice or FRN, prior to any invoices being paid. However, in order to...

by Alex Fugairon

September 10, 2010

E-rate Universe: The USAC Black Hole

In the first blog of our new series, "E-rate Universe", we are going to examine the phenomena of black holes. And by black holes, I mean specifically the one located...

by Peter Kaplan

August 24, 2010

Are You Getting an Early Start?

In any given funding year, approximately 35,000 Form 470s are filed. As a general rule, most of those 470s are posted in between early October and mid-January. However, it appears...

by Alex Fugairon

August 20, 2010

Is this the End of Auditcations?

USAC recently announced its new Payment Quality Assurance Program or PQA. The PQA program will allow USAC to conduct off-site "paper audits" to determine whether or not any improper payments...