Schools and Libraries

Latest News from the Schools & Libraries Program

Below are current news announcements relevant to Schools and Libraries Program. You can access previous announcements by clicking on a year under the latest news archive.

07/02/08

The Schools and Libraries Client Service Bureau will be Closed on Friday, July 4, 2008 in Observance of the Fourth of July.

The Schools and Libraries Client Service Bureau will be closed on Friday, July 4, 2008 in Observance of the Fourth of July. The Client Service Bureau will resume normal operations on Monday, July 7, 2008 at 8:00 a.m. EDT.

06/11/2008

Schools and Libraries Applicant Training Sessions (Fall 2008) – Save the Dates!

USAC plans to conduct seven applicant training sessions in September and October 2008. Each training session will last one and one-half days.

We have indicated below the cities and weeks we expect to schedule the training. Arrangements are still tentative at this point, but we want to provide you with preliminary information so you can begin planning for the fall. We intend to avoid travel or training on holidays – specifically, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Columbus Day.

Once training arrangements have been finalized, we will post to the website a complete list of training cities and dates with hotel information and online registration forms.

We look forward to seeing you this fall.

Tentative Training Schedule

 Cities  Weeks
 Washington, DC  Week of September 8
 Seattle, WA  Week of September 15
 Denver, CO  Week of September 22
 Chicago, IL  Week of September 29
 Newark, NJ  Week of October 6
 Los Angeles, CA  Week of October 13
 Atlanta, GA  Week of October 20
05/21/2008

The Schools & Libraries Client Service Bureau will be Closed on May 26, 2008 in Observance of Memorial Day.

The Schools & Libraries Client Service Bureau will be closed on Monday, May 26, 2008 in Observance of Memorial Day. The Client Service Bureau will resume normal operations on Tuesday, May 27, 2008 at 8:00 a.m. EDT.

05/19/2008

Schools & Libraries training environment maintenance starting Friday, May 16, 2008, 5 pm EDT

USAC began performing maintenance on the training environment Friday, May 16, 2008 around 5 pm EDT. The training environment will resume normal operations on Tuesday, May 27, 2008, 8 am, EDT.

05/14/2008

Schools & Libraries website and training environment maintenance starting Friday, May 16, 2008, 5 pm EDT

USAC will be performing maintenance on the Schools & Libraries website starting Friday, May 16, 2008, 5 pm EDT. The system will resume normal operations on Monday, May 19, 2008, 8 am, EDT. Users will be unable to access Apply Online, Submit a Question, and most of the search tools during this maintenance period.

USAC will also be performing maintenance on the training environment starting Friday, May 16, 2008, 5 pm EDT. The training environment will resume normal operations on Tuesday, May 27, 2008, 8 am, EDT.

05/06/2008

USAC Salutes Teachers in Honor of National Teacher Day

In honor of National Teacher Day today, USAC would like to thank teachers for their dedication and efforts in teaching tomorrow's leaders. USAC would like to recognize especially those teachers who embrace and incorporate new technologies into their curricula made available by such programs as the Schools and Libraries Program of the Universal Service Fund. Using Internet access and telecommunications technologies enriches our children's learning experiences and prepares them for the future as active, involved leaders of our communities. Thank you for all you do for our children, our communities, and our world.

05/06/2008

2008 Service Provider Training Agenda and Presentation Materials Now Available

Agenda and Presentation Materials

05/05/2008

USAC Releases First Commitments for Funding Year 2008

USAC released wave one of funding commitment decision letters (FCDLs) to Funding Year 2008 (FY2008) school and library applicants on May 1. USAC sent over 10,000 letters committing more than $352 million in Universal Service Fund support. The FCDLs will notify applicants of funding commitments for Priority One services (telecommunications and Internet access) for all discount bands from 20% to 90%.

05/02/2008

Schools & Libraries website maintenance starting Friday, May 2, 2008, 6 pm EDT

USAC will be performing maintenance on the Schools & Libraries website starting Friday, May 2, 2008, 6 pm EDT. The system will resume normal operations on Saturday, May 3, 2008, noon, EDT. Users will be unable to access Apply Online, Submit a Question, and most of the search tools during this maintenance period.

04/16/2008

GAO Survey of E-rate Beneficiaries

You may be selected to participate in a survey that will be conducted shortly by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), an agency of the U.S. Congress, as part of a GAO review of the E-rate program. We urge you to participate.

GAO plans to survey approximately 700 randomly selected beneficiaries to obtain information on their experiences with and views of the E-rate program. Because beneficiaries will be randomly selected, survey responses will be representative of the entire E-rate beneficiary population. Those beneficiaries chosen to participate will receive an e-mail from GAO later this month with instructions on how to access and complete the survey.

GAO will discuss the results of the survey in a report to Congress to be issued later this year. We encourage you to participate in the survey, if requested, so GAO will be able to provide Congress with the best possible information on how the E-rate program is working for beneficiaries and what improvements may be needed to help it work better.

Only GAO staff assigned to this study will be able to access and view your responses. GAO will report the results of the survey in summary form, and if they discuss any individual answers in their report, they will exclude any information that could be used to tie individual beneficiaries to their responses.

03/28/2008

Spring Training for Service Providers - Registration Open

2008 Service Provider Training

03/05/2008

USAC Provides Demand Estimate for Funding Year 2008 to FCC

On February 29, 2008, the Schools and Libraries Division of the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) reported to the Federal Communications Commission that $4.3 billion in requested funding has been estimated for schools and libraries seeking discounts for Funding Year 2008. This estimate is based on the dollars requested in 39,909 applications received or postmarked by February 7, 2008, the close of the Form 471 application filing window.

There are several factors that will reduce ultimately the funds requested from the estimated level. First, while efforts have been made to eliminate duplicate requests, inevitably we will discover more duplication as we process these applications. Second, USAC's efforts to assure that funds are committed only for eligible services, for use by eligible entities with the appropriate discount rate, and are otherwise consistent with program rules, will further reduce the demand.

For detailed information, please refer to the FY2008 Demand Estimate [PDF, 599kb].

02/08/2008

The FY2008 Window Has Closed –
Congratulations to Applicants and Service Providers!

At 11:59 p.m. EST last night, the FY2008 application filing window closed. Our preliminary results show that a high percentage of your applications, certifications, and Item 21 Attachments were filed online. By filing online you have made it possible for us to start the review process more quickly, which is what we all want. In addition, filing online greatly reduces the chance of errors. We appreciate your efforts.

We will now work to complete data entry of the paper applications postmarked within the application window that arrive at our offices next week. To help us in this effort:

  • If you have not certified a Form 470 or Form 471, please do so as soon as possible. Remember that you can use your PIN to certify online.
  • File all remaining Item 21 Attachments for the funding requests on your Form 471. You can file online using your Form 471 application number and security code, or you can file electronically, by fax, or on paper.
02/01/2008

Last-minute Filing Tips

File your Form 471 online and as soon as possible.

If you are having trouble filing online:

  • Use a supported browser – Internet Explorer or Netscape.
  • Allow pop-ups.
  • Clear out your temporary Internet files. (More info…)

Call CSB this weekend (9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EST) if you have a question or problem. (More info…)

Ask CSB now if you need a new entity number – don’t wait until the window is closing. (More info…)

Use 143666666 to data enter a SPIN for a Block 5 funding request if your service provider doesn’t have a SPIN or you’re not sure which SPIN to use. (More info…)

For your Block 4 worksheets, you can look up your NCES code or FSCS code on the NCES website. You can also leave this item blank online. (More info…)

If you file or certify on paper, keep proof of postmark or delivery. (More info…)

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01/30/2008

Online Form 471 Will Be Unavailable From This Friday Night at Midnight to 6:00 a.m. Saturday Morning, February 2

Each year, on the weekend before the filing window closes, USAC reboots its systems to enhance the performance of the network in preparation for the large volume of online Forms 471 that come in during the last few days of the window.

The Apply Online system will be unavailable from midnight on Friday to 6:00 a.m. on Saturday morning, February 2. Applicants will be able to see the Apply Online page but they will not be able to start a new form or work on an existing one while the system is offline.

Also, the Client Service Bureau will be open this weekend and on the evening of the window close for any last-minute questions. Applicants can call 1-888-203-8100 or use Submit a Question to pose their questions and get prompt answers.

CSB is normally open weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. EST. However, USAC has expanded the hours CSB will be open during the week preceding the close of the window:

Saturday, February 2            9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. EST
Sunday, February 3              9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. EST
Monday, February 4              8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. EST
Tuesday, February 5             8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. EST
Wednesday, February 6       8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. EST
Thursday, February 7            8:00 a.m. – 11:59 p.m. EST

Please note also that the SLD Training Site will be unavailable during this last week of the window to prevent applicants from filing a Form 471 on the training site by mistake and to further improve the performance of the network.

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08/31/2007

The Schools and Libraries Client Service Bureau will be closed on Monday, September 3, 2007 in observance of Labor Day.

The Schools and Libraries Client Service Bureau will be closed on Monday, September 3, 2007 in observance of Labor Day. The Client Service Bureau will resume normal operations on Tuesday, September 4, 2007 at 8:00 a.m. EDT.

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08/9/2007

If You Invoice USAC on Paper, Use the April 2007 Version of BEAR Form 472 or SPI Form 474

Applicants and service providers who submit invoices (BEAR Form 472 and SPI Form 474) on paper MUST use the April 2007 version of these forms. Submitting earlier versions will result in significant delays because USAC cannot process your invoice until you have resubmitted it using the current version of the form.

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07/27/2007

FCC Issues Public Notice on Eligible Services List

Today the FCC released a Public Notice (FCC 07-130) [PDF, 52 KB] establishing the comment period for the Funding Year 2008 Eligible Services List.

Comments on the draft Eligible Services List [PDF, 373 KB], which is attached to the Public Notice, are due to the FCC on or before August 10, 2007. Reply comments are due to the FCC on or before August 17, 2007.

On Monday, after the July 30 issue of the Daily Digest is posted to the FCC's Daily Digest webpage, you can click on the link on that page marked "DISPLAY the current issue..." for more information.

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06/12/2007

FCC Directs USAC to Carry Forward $650 Million From Prior Years to Schools and Libraries Program Funding Year 2007

On June 11, 2007, the FCC issued a Public Notice in which it announced that $650 million in unused Schools and Libraries funds will be carried forward from Funding Years 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004.  As a result of carrying forward this funding, disbursements to schools and libraries in Funding Year 2007 will increase and support will be provided in excess of the annual $2.25 billion cap.

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Last modified on 7/3/2008