| Schools and Libraries News Brief
May 1, 2009
TIP OF THE WEEK: If your PIA reviewer has asked you for your Item 21 attachment, you should either (1) file it online and alert your reviewer by email or (2) email or fax it directly to your reviewer. PIA is now starting to deny funding requests where an Item 21 attachment was requested but was not submitted by the 15-day response deadline.
Commitments for Funding Years 2009 and 2008
Funding Year 2009. USAC will release FY2009 Wave 2 Funding Commitment Decision Letters (FCDLs) May 5. This wave will include commitments for approved Priority 1 requests (Telecommunications Services and Internet Access) for schools and libraries at all discount levels. As of May 1, FY2009 commitments total over $134 million.
Funding Year 2008. USAC will release FY2008 Wave 50 FCDLs May 6. This wave will include commitments for approved Internal Connections and Basic Maintenance requests at 88% and above and denials at 86% and below. As of May 1, FY2008 commitments total over $2.25 billion.
On the day the FCDLs are mailed, you can check to see if you have a commitment by using USAC’s Automated Search of Commitments tool.
Cities Chosen for Fall Applicant Training
Each fall during the months of September and October, USAC conducts a number of applicant training sessions around the country. This year we have increased the number of sessions from seven to eight to make the training more accessible to program applicants.
We have also changed the sessions from a day and a half to one day so that costs associated with the training are less of a financial burden. Note that USAC does not charge a registration fee to attend the training.
The one-day trainings, which are targeted to school, library, and consortium applicants, will offer several full sessions on all aspects of the program. In addition, attendees can choose from a number of individual tracks.
USAC has finalized the list of metropolitan areas where training sessions will be held. Detailed registration and hotel information will be posted on the USAC website in the near future.
Following is an alphabetical list of the training locations:
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Atlanta, Georgia
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Chicago, Illinois
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Houston, Texas
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Los Angeles, California
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Newark, New Jersey
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Orlando, Florida
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Portland, Oregon
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Washington, DC
Service Provider Training Registration Continues
Space is still available for the service provider training session in Phoenix on May 12. You can register online and get information on hotel reservations through the training information page.
The agenda and training presentations have also been posted on the website. Please remember to download or print the presentations and bring them with you to the training.
Update to SPIN Contact Search Tool
The SPIN Contact Search Tool provides useful information to both applicants and service providers. Applicants can search by the Service Provider Identification Number (SPIN) or the service provider name to retrieve this information, which includes:
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Service provider contact person name
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Service provider contact address
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Service provider contact telephone
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Eligible telecommunications provider status (see below for update)
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All funding years for which the service provider has successfully filed its required annual certification
Contact information is populated from the original Form 498, Service Provider Identification Number and Contact Information Form or the most recent update filed by the service provider. USAC updates the annual certification information each time the service provider successfully files a Form 473, Service Provider Annual Certification (SPAC) Form.
USAC's update to the SPIN Contact Search tool relates to the status of "Eligible Telecomm Provider." In general, service providers that are eligible to provide services in the Telecommunications Services category of service must meet certain requirements and also file a Form 499-A, Telecommunications Reporting Worksheet. The update to the SPIN Contact Search tool takes two additional pieces of information into account:
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Providers of Interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services are also required to file Form 499-A.
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Certain agencies that provide Telecommunications Services and/or VoIP services are exempt from filing Form 499-A.
USAC has updated the SPIN Contact Search tool as follows:
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The column formerly labeled "Eligible Telecomm Provider" is now labeled "Form 499 Filer," because the status in this column relates to the filing of a Form 499-A rather than specifically to the provision of Telecommunications Services.
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Additional explanatory text has been added to include information on agencies that are exempt from filing a Form 499-A. These agencies can provide Telecommunications Services and/or VoIP services even though the designation in this column appears to suggest otherwise.
Here is how to interpret the entries in the Form 499 Filer column:
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A "Y" in the column means that the SPIN is considered eligible to provide these services because it has successfully filed a Form 499-A.
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Agencies exempt from filing a Form 499-A that are nevertheless eligible to provide these services (see below) may feature an "X" or a "Z" in this column or the column may be blank. The Client Service Bureau maintains a list of these eligible providers, and you can Submit a Question or call 1-888-203-8100 to determine if your service provider is on this list.
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An "X" in the column means that USAC has researched the SPIN and found that it is NOT eligible to provide these services (except as noted above).
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A "Z" in the column means that USAC is currently researching the SPIN to determine if it is eligible to provide these services (except as noted above).
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A blank in the column means that USAC has not researched the SPIN and its status is unverified (except as noted above).
And here is the information from the Form 499-A Instructions on the agencies that are exempt from filing a Form 499-A:
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Government entities that purchase telecommunications services in bulk on behalf of themselves (e.g., state networks for schools and libraries) are not required to file or contribute directly to universal service.
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Public safety and local governmental entities licensed under Subpart B of Part 90 of the Commission's rules are not required to file or contribute directly to universal service.
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Similarly, if an entity provides interstate telecommunications exclusively to public safety or government entities and does not offer services to others, that entity is not required to file or contribute directly to universal service.
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In addition, broadcasters, non-profit schools, non-profit libraries, non-profit colleges, non-profit universities, and non-profit health care providers are not required to file the Worksheet or contribute directly to universal service.
Applicants are reminded that they should confirm this and all other information with their service providers.
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