Contents:
Announcements and News
Pending Dates and Deadlines
Upcoming Training Events
E-rate Process: Activities to Work on Now
Announcements and News
K12 HSN Announces New E-rate Resources
The K12 High Speed Network has two new resources to assist schools in learning E-rate program requirements and completing the annual application and funding process. The E-Rate Training Roadmap and Resource Guide at https://www.k12hsn.org/resources/erate/training will assist schools through each step of the E-rate funding process from start to finish and provides links to additional training resources, including webinars, guides, and videos published by the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC), California Department of Education (CDE), and K12HSN. K12 HSN will also be conducting a series of webinars at https://www.k12hsn.org/special-projects/biig-e-rate-support geared to participants in the Broadband Infrastructure Improvement Grant (BIIG) at https://www.k12hsn.org/biig2. The three-part webinars focus on different steps and timeframes of the BIIG grantee lifecycle with special emphasis on E-rate funding implications.
FCC Proposes to Prohibit E-rate Funding on Certain Manufacturers
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has proposed rules at https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-proposes-protect-national-security-through-fcc-programs-0 to prohibit the use of E-rate and other Universal Service Funds to purchase or obtain any equipment or services produced or provided by companies posing a national security threat to the integrity of U.S. communications networks or the communications supply chain. Upon adoption, E-rate program participants will be prohibited from using E-rate funds to procure or otherwise support any and all equipment and services produced or provided by Huawei Technologies Company and ZTE Corporation effective Funding Year 2020, starting July 1, 2020. For earlier funding years, E-rate participants may use the Service Provider Identification Number (SPIN) change at https://www.usac.org/sl/applicants/before-youre-done/spin-changes/default.aspx and/or service substitution process at https://www.usac.org/e-rate/applicant-process/before-youre-done/service-substitutions to swap out non-compliant equipment not yet installed.
California Funding Commitment Summary
Funding Year 2019
USAC released FY2019 Wave 31 on October 31, 2019. Cumulative commitments for California applicants are $252 Million.
Category 1 Commitments to Date
$195.7 Million (82% of funding requested)
357 funding requests are pending for 69 applicants
Category 2 Commitments to Date
$56.7 Million (42% of funding requested)
1,092 FRNs funding requests are pending for 97 applicants
Pending Dates and Deadlines
Applicants may view or calculate their E-rate deadlines on USAC's website at https://www.usac.org/sl/tools/deadlines/default.aspx.
FCC Form 486 Filing Reminder
The FCC Form 486 (Receipt of Service Confirmation and Children's Internet Protection Act Certification Form) at https://www.usac.org/wp-content/uploads/e-rate/documents/486.pdf notifies USAC that the billed entity and/or the eligible entities that it represents is receiving, or has received, service in the relevant funding year from the named service provider(s).
Funding Year 2019
The First FCC Form 486 deadline for FY 2019 was October 28, 2019, for funding waves 1-10 with services starting July 1, 2019.
Funding Year 2018
FCC Form 486 must be filed 120 days from the date of the issuance of the Funding Commitment Decision Letter (“FCDL”) or the start date of E-rate eligible services, whichever is later. For ongoing recurring services, starting on July 1, 2018, the following deadlines have passed or are approaching in the next month.
Applicants missing these or earlier deadlines should closely monitor their News Feed in the E-rate Productivity Center for an FCC Form 486 Urgent Reminder Letter notification. This letter will allow the applicant a 15-day extension to submit an FCC Form 486 without penalty.
Upcoming Training Events
Numerous training opportunities available for E-rate applicants.
USAC Webinars
Recordings of previous webinars are posted on the USAC website at https://www.usac.org/e-rate/learn/webinars.
K12 High Speed Network
The E-Rate Training Roadmap and Resource Guide at https://www.k12hsn.org/resources/erate/training and supplemental training materials including recordings of previous webinars are posted on the K12HSN website.
Webinars geared to participants in the Broadband Infrastructure Improvement Grant (BIIG) at https://www.k12hsn.org/biig2 are scheduled through December. Sign up at the K12 HSN website at https://www.k12hsn.org/special-projects/biig-e-rate-support.
Webinar #1: Introduction to the Broadband Infrastructure Improvement Grant (BIIG) What to Expect, and Roles and Responsibilities
November 19, 2019 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
December 3, 2019 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Webinar #2: Receiving Broadband Infrastructure Improvement Grant (BIIG) Services Contract Transfer and E-rate Implications
November 20, 2019 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
December 4, 2019 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Webinar #3: Broadband Infrastructure Improvement Grant (BIIG) After Contract Transfer Receiving E-rate and CTF Discounts and Planning for End of Services
November 22, 2019 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
December 5, 2019 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
E-rate Process: Activities to Work on Now
Check EPC Profiles for Accuracy, Collect and Review NSLP and Enrollment Data
On October 11, the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) opened the Administrative Window for updating entity profile information in the E-rate Productivity Center (EPC). Profile information includes an entity’s classification, address, enrollment, National School Lunch program information, and Urban/Rural status and is the basis of the discount calculation on the FCC Form 471. USAC updated applicant profiles to reflect the current Funding Year 2019 FCC Form 471 information. Applicants are encouraged to review their EPC Profiles and make any necessary changes. The September 28, 2018, edition of the Schools and Libraries News Brief at https://apps.usac.org/sl/tools/news-briefs/preview.aspx?id=857 provides information on reviewing and updating EPC profiles.
Schools that have recently made their own entity updates should confirm that those changes are still in place (i.e., that they have not been overwritten by the updates made by USAC).
Update the Entity name and address in the EPC to match the California School Directory at http://www.cde.ca.gov/re/sd/index.asp.
Update the “Number of Fulltime Students” and the “Total Number of Students Eligible for National School Lunch Program (NSLP)” fields to match the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) data from the 2019 collection period. For best results, use the numbers reported on CALPADS and this information should be easily available from your CALPADS Coordinator.
Enter the full 14-digit County-District-School (CDS) number in the “State School Code” field, with no spaces or dashes. You can find the CDS number in the California School Directory at http://www.cde.ca.gov/re/sd/index.asp. Some sites that do not have a CDS number may qualify as an Annex or Non-Instructional Facility. A description of an Annex may be located at the CDE website at https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/et/ft/erateglossaryofterms.asp.
Once the discount profile has been updated for each school within the school district, please be sure to go back to your organization's landing page, click on discount rate link and the discount that will be imported into the Form 471 will be displayed.
Verify the contact person’s information on the district’s profile. Since this person will receive communications from USAC, it is important that this be someone who has regular e-mail access and access to the LEA’s account in the E-Rate Productivity Center (EPC).
Schools and Libraries Program Weekly News Briefs on E-rate
The Schools and Libraries Program (SLP), commonly known as E-rate, provides timely information and insight through their Weekly News Brief. If you have not already done so, we encourage you to sign up to receive these communications by visiting the SLP’s Web page at https://www.usac.org/e-rate/resources/news-brief/.
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