Our Direction

Funds For Learning is committed to the long-term success of the E-rate program.  Our aim is to help all E-rate stakeholders understand and effectively utilize the Universal Service Funding program and to comply with all of its rules.  As such, FFL provides a variety of services to all program stakeholders, not just applicants.  These entities include non-applicant public institutions, such as state departments of education, hardware and software manufacturers and distributors, service providers who provide E-rate eligible goods and services, and other compliance specialists who provide services to E-rate applicants and E-rate service providers.

Our services to these entities involve web-based tools (to help them retrieve and organize E-rate information and generate their E-rate forms) and compliance services.  The compliance services we provide include training, answering questions concerning E-rate policies and procedures, and interacting with the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) on the client's behalf concerning invoice payments, service substitutions, and eligibility questions.  FFL understands that the long-term growth of the E-rate program is dependent on the education and compliance of all E-rate stakeholders.  Further, FFL is able to provide the applicant client with the right answer, at the right time using this holistic approach to the E-rate program and its entities.

Our Approach

There are three or four main stakeholders involved in the E-rate process: the applicant, the service provider, USAC and, in some cases, the consultant.  Each of these stakeholders has different needs, wants, goals, etc.  Some of these needs conflict with each other, while other needs are in alignment.  FFL's job is to effectively manage the process for each of these stakeholders, balancing -- when necessary -- their conflicting needs.  As a general rule, the hierarchy FFL uses to prioritize work is as follows:

1. USAC
2. Applicant
3. Service Provider
4. FFL

This means we worry first and foremost about what USAC needs, then our client, etc.  Does this mean that USAC's needs always win out?  No.  However, it does mean that we generally do cater the process to USAC's needs before anyone else's needs.  Ultimately, we find putting USAC first does serve the client's needs the best.

Our approach also involves "looking over the horizon" to anticipate needs that will appear later.  Therefore, we usually are not focused solely on one particular step of the process.  Instead, we tend to think of the entire process as a whole, and then relate that back to the current step at which we find ourselves.  In other words, as we are preparing the Form 471 submittals, we are not only anticipating the PIA review process, but also the post-FCDL (Funding Commitment Decision Letters) discount/reimbursement process and even the occasional Federal Communications Commission audit.

Code of Conduct

In everything that we do, Funds For Learning adheres to a strict Code of Conduct to guard our clients from any conflict of interest and to reduce the likeihood of any appearance of impropriety. Our Code of Conduct can be accessed here.