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The following is a summary of the E-rate News for the Week of December 20, 1999,
prepared by E-Rate Central. Official SLD news appears in the "What's New!"
section of the
SLD's web site. Additional information and interpretations appear
elsewhere on this web site.
Additional funding "ripples" for PY2
Over the last week, the SLD has released two small waves (i.e., "ripples") of
Funding Commitment Decisions Letters for the second program year. The two
"ripples" provide $6.4 million in additional funding to 65 NYS applicants.
On a cumulative basis, covering funding for two program years, NYS applicants
have been awarded over $350 million. A recent per-pupil analysis by Funds for
Learning shows NYS ranking seventh in the nation with a cumulative total of
approximately $108 per student.
Holiday help line schedule
The SLD's Client Service Bureau (888-203-8100) will be in normal operation for
the first three business days of next week, but will close for the New Year's
weekend beginning at Noon EST on Thursday, December 30. Service will resume on
Monday, January 3, 2000. The SLD's web site will also be inaccessible during
the same period due to Y2K compliance validation.
E-Rate Central's e-mail help line services and web site (Feedback)
will be available every day throughout the holidays (and January weekends until
the end of the Form 471 application window) to assist NYS applicants.
Form 471 submission and signature date
Most applicants know that a Form 470 must be posted on the SLD web site for 28
days before new contracts can be signed and before a Form 471 can be submitted.
Based on a number of SLD funding denials, however, it is clear that some
applicants have not been careful to follow the SLD instructions on signing and
dating their applications. SLD instructions state:
"Please note that for applications requesting new services, [the signature] date
CANNOT be earlier than any Allowable Contract date you cite in Item (17) of any
Block 5 submitted with this application."
Applicants who filed Form 470s late in December, and who will have only a few
days in which to sign contracts and submit Form 471s before the window closes
January 19, must be particularly diligent in the signing and dating of their
applications.
Importance of E-rate form certifications
While on the subject of signing and dating E-rate forms, it is appropriate
stress the importance that both the SLD and the FCC place on the various
certifications dealing with:
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the use of discounted services "solely for educational purposes"
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technology plan approval;
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the validity of contracts; and
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"access to all resources, including computers, training, software, maintenance,
and electrical connections necessary to make effective use of ... eligible
services."
During the review process of PY2 applications, a number of applicants were
subjected to detailed reviews of their "necessary resources."
In a recent letter dealing with the complete denial of an applicant's Form 471,
the SLD noted broadly that: "The Schools and Libraries Program is, to a large
extent, built on the principle of self-certification [by applicants] of
compliance with the requirements of the Act." More specifically, the SLD stated
that "approved procedures for reviewing applications for support require
verification of this certification on selected applications. Under a policy
adopted by the ... Board of Directors, in instances where the SLD concludes
that an applicant cannot provide sufficient documentation to support the
necessary resources certification, [the] SLD denies all applications, including
all the funding requests on each application, submitted by that applicant."
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