The Schools and Libraries Division received authority on July 11 to approve all eligible Internal Connections commitment requests down to 85 percent for the 2003 funding year, which began on July 1. Meeting by conference call, the Schools and Libraries Committee of the Universal Service Administrative Company authorized the SLD to begin issuing funding commitments down to that level.
The SLD began issuing commitments for internal connections requests at the 90 percent discount rate in the funding commitment wave dated June 27. (Last year, the SLD was not able to announce its first internal connections commitments until October.) Requests are still pending for applicants seeking support for internal connections at discounts of between 70 and 84 percent.
So far, the SLD has issued commitments totaling $708 million for the 2003 funding year.
