E-Rate Central News for the Week
February 8, 2010
The E-Rate Central News for the Week, prepared for New York applicants by E-Rate Central, is sponsored by the New York State Education Department. Additional E-rate resources are on the E-Rate Central Web site and on the New York State E-rate site. We can be contacted by phone (516-801-7804), fax (516-801-7810), or through our Contact Us Web form.
FY 2008 - FY 2010 Funding Status
Wave 39 for FY 2009 is scheduled for release on February 9th for $182 million, including $122 million for 55 New York applicants (all but $5 million for New York City). Cumulative funding for the year is $2.46 billion, including $304 million for New York. Priority 2 funding is still being approved at 80% and above, and denied at 54% and below. Wave 79 for FY 2008 will be released February 11th.
The Form 471 application window for FY 2010 will close at 11:59 p.m. EST on Thursday, February 11, 2010. The SLD has already received over 16,500 applications.
FY 2010 Applications: The Final Days
Warning: The deadline for filing Form 471 applications for FY 2010, the next funding year, is Thursday, February 11, at 11:59 p.m. EST. Applications completed online or postmarked after this time and date will be treated as received outside the filing window and will not likely be funded.
For the inevitable applicants who are going to wait until Thursday to submit their Form 471s, we offer the following suggestions:
- For online filers. If last-minute problems are experienced with the SLD's online data entry system – a real possibility if the system becomes overloaded with last minute filers – it is critically important to document that the filing had been in process when problems developed. In particular:
- We suggest periodic screen printouts – particularly of the screen that appears early in the filing process displaying the Form 471 number and security code. It is also important to call the SLD's help line (888-203-8100) to report problems. The help line will remain open one-half hour past the 11:59 p.m. EST deadline on Thursday. If you call with a filing problem, make sure you retain the assigned Case Number.
- To avoid problems from the outset, be sure to use Internet Explorer, not an alternative browser. The SLD has updated the more informal guidance it had provided last year for dealing with a variety of possible online filing problems. This information is available at Online Troubleshooting.
- Remember that all Form 471s should also be certified by the deadline. If the application is not certified online using a PIN, the certification should be printed out, signed and dated, and mailed by the deadline. If the application is submitted online and on time, but not certified, the SLD will provide a reminder and a second chance to do so. If at all possible, please do not rely on this second chance.
When mailing either a complete paper Form 471 or a paper certification to the SLD, we recommend that the postmark date be documented. If using an express mailing service (e.g., FedEx), the electronic pickup date in the tracking system serves as the "postmark." Make sure you know the time of the latest express mail pickup in your area.
If using the U.S. Postal Service, similar advice applies. Use certified mail and make sure the certification is time-stamped before the 11:59 p.m. EST deadline. Some post offices have later closing times than others. Check the USPS Web site to find offices near you and check their closing times.
- Remember that any Form 470 referenced in a Form 471 must also be signed and certified to be valid. Applicants who filed a Form 470 online a month or two ago, but who did not electronically certify it online, should make sure that their paper certification pages have been submitted. The deadline for submitting a Form 470 certification is the same as the Form 471 deadline.
The easiest way to confirm that a specific Form 470 has been certified is to use the Form 470 Search Posted feature on the SLD Web site. The first section of a posted Form 470 should show a Certification Received Date. If this field is blank, and you just mailed the certification, make sure you can document the postmark date. If you mailed the certification a while ago, and the field is still blank, we suggest resubmitting the certification before the deadline.
Additional information on the Form 471 application process is contained in three SLD News Briefs issued last week (summarized below).
E-Rate Updates and Reminders
Comment Period for Proposed New CIPA Rules:
The deadline for submitting initial comments on the FCC's Notice of Public Rulemaking (FCC 09-96) proposing new and revised CIPA rules is February 18, 2010; reply comments are due March 5, 2010.
Obama's Budget Proposal Eliminates EETT:
The Administration's proposed budget for 2011, released last week, included more money for education in general, but less money for educational technology. Overall, the budget would increase education spending by $3.8 billion, consolidate thirty-eight education programs into eleven, and shift $1.85 billion into the Race to the Top program and the Investing in Innovation Fund. It would, however, eliminate the Enhancing Education Through Technology ("EETT") program (budgeted at $100 million for 2010). This is not good news for E-rate applicants in states that had been using a portion of EETT funds to support statewide E-rate coordination.
Schools and Libraries News Briefs dated February 3-5: Application Process
The SLD issued three News Briefs covering various aspects of the Form 471 application process. The February 3rd issue focuses on FAQs for Form 471 filers, providing answers to the following questions:
- Why should I complete Item 6f, the Holiday/vacation/summer contact information?
- I would like to file a consortium application but the online form doesn't allow it.
- How do I get an entity number for a new entity?
- What do I do if I don't have an NCES or FSCS code?
- Is there a way to upload my worksheet information without having to enter it line by line?
- How do I calculate the student count for a school district's non-instructional facility (NIF)?
- Why can't I enter some of my entity numbers in my Block 4 worksheet?
- Why do I have to enter two entity numbers when I add a library outlet/branch to a worksheet?
- Both Item 10 and Item 15D ask for an FRN related to the current FRN. Which item do I use?
- My service provider doesn't have a Service Provider Identification Number (SPIN). Can I still file my Form 471 online?
- Which SPIN do I enter in Item 13?
- What do I enter in Items 25a-25e?
- Why won't the system accept the amount I am trying to enter in Item 25d?
- I would like to certify my form online. How do I obtain a PIN?
- I have a PIN but the online Form 471 won't allow me to use it. Why not?
- I just certified my Form 471 online. Where do I mail the certification page?
- When should I file my Item 21 attachment?
- How do I make changes to my Item 21 attachment if I have already submitted it?
The February 4th News Brief discusses the preparation and filing of Item 21 attachments.
The February 5th issue provides notes for last-minute filers, repeating some of the information from the earlier FAQ material. It also repeats the section from the previous week's News Brief clarifying the eligibility of "unbundled warranties."
