The following is a summary of E-rate news for the week of December 28, 1998. Official SLC news appears in the "What's New!" section of the SLC's web site.

The fourth wave of Funding Commitment Decisions Letters was released on December 30, 1998 and should be posted on the SLC's web site next week (01/04/99). Again, this was a relatively small wave comprised of about 1,500 letters, with total commitments of approximately $33 million.

One significant difference in the fourth wave was that, for the first time, it included letters to some applicants whose discount levels are below 50% and had applied for internal connection discounts. As indicated two weeks ago, the SLC has determined that no funding will be available this year, for internal connections for those applicants below the 50% level, resulting in funding decisions on these items being marked "Unfunded" in the FCD letters. Telecommunications and Internet access items will continue to be funded for applicants at all discount levels, so the FCD letters to the under 50% applicants may include a mix of funded and unfunded items.

The first batch of letters to vendors, notifying them of customers who have successfully filed Form 486s and Form 472s (BEAR forms) to initiate discounts, or apply for reimbursement of retroactive discounts, are scheduled to be mailed next week. Notification of successful BEAR filings implies that the first actual E-rate funding disbursements should occur no later than early February.

As of midday December 31, the SLC web site had posted 335 Form 470 applications from New York State schools and libraries for the next funding period. This represents only about 16% of the total 2,137 NYS filings posted for the 1998 year. Since some Form 470s are being mailed to the SLC, rather than entered online, total filings may be somewhat higher. Our early experience indicates that there is almost a two week delay between the time a Form 470 is mailed until the time it is actually entered and posted by the SLC. Nevertheless, early statistics indicate that many potential applicants appear to be waiting until after the holidays to begin filing.

E-Rate Central continues to recommend that a Form 470 be filed as early as possible. Applicants should remember that a Form 470 must be actually posted on the SLC web site for at least 28 days before any new E-rate eligible contract can be signed. Since a Form 471, detailling all eligible contracts, should be filed on or before the end of the application window on March 11, 1999, any delay in filing the preliminary Form 470 shortens the allowable contract signing period.

The only addition in the "What's New!" section of the SLC web site, in an obviously slow news week, was a sample FCD letter.