• PY5 Application Window Is Open
• Electronic Signature Registration
• Updated Entity Number List on SLD Web Site
• SLD Warning on Vendor Misrepresentations
• Form 486 Notification Letters
• New NYSED Web Resource for Free and Reduced Price Lunch Data
• New York State E-rate Training Sessions in November

The following is a summary of the E-rate News for the Week of November 5, 2001, prepared by E-Rate Central. Official SLD news appears in the “What’s New!” section of the SLD’s Web site . Additional and archived information appears elsewhere on the E-Rate Central Web site.

PY5 Application Window Is Open

As of Monday, November 5^th, the SLD began accepting Form 471 applications online and by mail for program year five (“PY5,” July 1, 2002, to June 30, 2003). The application window for Form 471s will close at 11:59 p.m. EST on Thursday, January 17, 2002. Applicants missing this window deadline will, in all certainty, NOT be funded next year. Applicants filing online must complete the certification and signature process within the deadline. If an electronic signature is not used (see below), the properly signed certification pages must be mailed to the SLD separately and be postmarked by January 17. Mailed applications, with signatures, must also be postmarked by January 17. Use of an express mail service, which allows documentation of both the pickup date (equivalent to the postmark date) and the delivery date, is strongly recommended.

Technically, this year’s criteria for a timely Form 471 filing does not include the requirement to postmark the Item 21 attachments by January 17, but no funding will be approved until the required attachments are submitted. To avoid processing errors and delays, timely submission of the attachments is also strongly recommended.

Applicants are reminded that each funding request must reference the Form 470 that had been properly posted on the SLD Web site for 28 days before any associated contract had been signed or the Form 471 had been submitted. If you have not already done so, please file a Form 470 now.

Electronic Signature Registration

The SLD is currently in the process of enabling the online Form 470 and Form 471 systems to accept electronic signatures. This will eliminate the need for applicants to separately mail signed certification pages. An SLD announcement that electronic signatures can be used with the Form 470 is expected next week. A similar announcement for the Form 471 should follow shortly.

Any authorized person, who has previously signed a Form 471 or Form 486 for PY2 or later, can now apply for a User ID and PIN. Details on the use of electronic signatures for E-rate forms, and a link to the PIN Request Area can be found in the Reference Area of the SLD Web Site.

An interesting sidelight to the use of electronic signatures is a recent decision by the FCC that the SLD’s previous insistence on original signatures — not photocopied (or rubber stamped) versions — was not consistent with the Uniform Commercial Code. The SLD has already modified its Minimum Processing Standards for Form 471 (and presumably will do so for other forms) to reflect the new FCC guidance. Outstanding PY3 and PY4 appeals to the SLD, related to applications previously rejected for not having original signatures, have been held pending the FCC decision and are now likely to be approved.

Updated Entity Number List on SLD Web Site

An updated list of Entity Numbers for applicants and/or individual schools and libraries, as required on all SLD forms, has been posted on the SLD Web site. Three separate Excel lists are provided for each state — one for public schools and districts, one for libraries, and one for all other entities (including private schools and consortiums).

SLD Warning on Vendor Misrepresentations

As a result of recent applicant questions and complaints, the SLD has posted a warning concerning unnamed vendors or individuals who have been identifying themselves as SLD or USAC investigators or as being “SLD certified” consultants. The SLD has stressed that it does not certify vendors and that any on-site audits are done only after formal applicant pre-notification. The SLD asks that any such vendor misrepresentations be reported to its Client Service Bureau (888-203-8100).

Form 486 Notification Letters

The SLD is scaling up the Form 486 data entry process to attack the current backlog of forms caused by system changes to accommodate the new CIPA certifications and the flood of filings mailed just prior to the recent October 28^th deadline. Vendors have received Notification Letters on only about 25% of the PY4 Form 486s received to date. For the first time this year, applicants will also be sent Notification Letters once their Form 486s have been processed, but the vendor letters are being given priority.

New NYSED Web Resource for Free and Reduced Price Lunch Data

A new section of the NYSED Web site is available to schools and libraries (and SLD reviewers) showing updated National School Lunch Program enrollment data for New York State schools. Previously, the only data available online were the CN325 reports in the School Locator section of the NYSED Web site that currently shows data only from March 2000. The new Child Nutrition Management System section currently provides monthly data as recent as October 2001. The section’s search and report capability requires use of Internet Explorer (Netscape will not work).

New York State E-rate Training Sessions in November

As we have done in previous years, E-Rate Central will be holding half-day E-rate workshops for New York State applicants this fall. The schedule for the remainder of November is provided below. Locations and registration information are posted on the New York State section of the E-Rate Central Web site.

Nov. 13 – Albany (Revised Driving Directions)

Nov. 14 – Syracuse

Nov. 14 - Watertown

Nov. 15– Utica

Nov. 16 – Buffalo