USAC’s Schools and Libraries Division hosts monthly service provider conference calls, providing information and guidance for vendors participating in the E-rate program. Highlights from December 12, 2012 service provider call include:
November 2012 Commitments
FY 2013 Form 471 Window Open
The Funding Year 2013 Form 471 filing window is now open and will continue through 11:59 EST on Thursday, March 14, 2013. The filing window will be open for 93 days. Thursday, February 14, 2013 is the last date on which a Form 470 may be filed in time to be referenced on a Funding Year 2013 request.
Revised Form 498 Now Available on the USAC website
USAC has a new training video that provides instruction how to fill out the form accurately.
Invoicing Update
Payments for the month of November totaled $125.8 million against $161 million in requests. Invoices were submitted by 1,052 service providers, and 96% were processed within 30 days. The top invoice denial reasons for the month include:
SPIN was not registered
Total commitment already paid
Applicant had not submitted a Form 486
Duplicate invoices
Service provider submitted Form 474 before work had been performed
New Form 470 Download Tool
The SLD launched a new Form 470 download tool to help service providers locate Form 470s.
Q&A
Question regarding the timeframe for processing SPIN change requests
Answer: USAC had been experiencing a huge backlog, however, the SPIN change request backlog has been reduced significantly and the processing of SPIN requests can take up to 30 days.
Question regarding service provider influence in applicants’ technology plans
Answer: The SLD is advising that service providers should not write or prepare technology plans for their customers. USAC expressed a concern that it can be very difficult for service providers to provide guidance in this area without influencing applicants’ technology choices.
Note: The information above is not the official minutes from the call, but simply notes from Funds For Learning.
