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 the September 2, 2015 service provider webinar include:
August 2015 E-rate Commitments
EPC Update
The SLD will be holding an introductory training webinar on the new E-rate Portal on September 10, 2pm EDT. Stakeholders can register for the training here.
Invoicing Update
Payments for the month of August totaled $196.9 million against requests for $229 million for 1618 service providers and 95% of the invoices were processed within 30 days.
Top Denial Explanations:
- Spin not registered
- Total commitment paid
- Duplicate invoices
- Service provider not certified, no Form 473
- No Form 486 filed
Q&A
Q: Some applications which were approved by this time last year still haven’t made it past initial review this year. Can you comment on this in light of the expedited approval process?
A: The SLD is on a similar pace of releasing funding commitments as in previous years and will meet the September 24, 2015 goal of releasing all FY 2015 “workable” Form 471 applications.
Q. On the FCC Form 470, the customer filed Internet and Transport (bundled) – does this mean that only bids accepted must be a bundled solution, or should the school have filed both bundled and unbundled services (Internet and transport separately) to maximize the number of bids received?
A. No, while bundled may be less expensive, the district will not be penalized for considering both alternatives.
Q.The Allowable Contract Date is not one of the dates listed on the FCC Form 470. Can it be added to the form?
A. The SLD is working on some online tools to address this.
