e-rate 101: basics of the program fall 2011. contact information schools and districts: pam jacobs...
TRANSCRIPT
E-Rate 101: Basics of the programFall 2011
Contact information
Schools and districts:
Pam Jacobs• 515-975-0071• [email protected]
Public Libraries:
Jay Peterson• 515-281-4499• [email protected]
What is E-rate?
• Discount Program for Schools and Libraries• 20-90% discounts on telecommunications
services, telecommunications, Internet access, internal connections and maintenance for internal connections
• Annual $2.25 billion program nationwide (plus annual inflation factor and any potential “roll-over” funds)
• NOT a competitive grant program
Who are the E-rate players?
• Congress• FCC (Federal Communications
Commission)• USAC (Universal Services
Administrative Company)• SLD (Schools and Libraries
Division)– PIA (Program Integrity Assurance)
Who is eligible to participate and to receive funding?
• Public libraries
• School districts and non-public schools
Library Eligibility
• Non-profit, public libraries• Eligible for LSTA (Library Services and
Technology Act)• Can be:
– single library– consortia– library system
School Eligibility
• All public schools– school districts– AEAs
• Non-public schools– Non-profit, private K-12 schools with endowment of
$50M or less
• “Other school programs” as determined by Iowa Department of Education (see DE Directory)
• Must meet federal definition of elementary or secondary school
What is my discount?
Two criteria determine your discount:
• Poverty of the students • Location of the school(s) or library
Poverty
• Based on National School Lunch Program Eligibility
• Direct Certification Data is permitted (not just the number of students participating in NSLP)
• As a school/district, you are allowed to use October 1 data or “most current figure available”
• Libraries use discount from school district in which they are located.
Location Location
• Urban/Rural defined by Counties
Iowa counties which are urban:
• Black Hawk• Dallas• Dubuque• Johnson• Linn• Polk• Pottawattamie• Scott• Warren• Woodbury
Discount Matrix
Percent of Eligible Students
Urban Rural
Less than 1% 20% 25%
1% - 19% 40% 50%
20% - 34% 50% 60%
35% - 49% 60% 70%
50% -74% 80% 80%
75% -100% 90% 90%
What is funded through e-rate?
• Five categories of service– Priority 1 (funded first)
• Telecommunications Services• Telecommunications• Internet Access
– Priority 2 (starts with neediest applicants)• Internal Connections• Basic Maintenance of Internal Connections
Eligible Services: Telecommunications Services (priority 1)
Eligible Services: Telecommunications Services (priority 1)
Must be provided by a telecommunications carrier
Examples:– Local & long distance– Cell phone service – Digital transmission services (e.g. Ethernet,
Metro-e, etc.)
Including all taxesand surcharges!
Eligible Telecommunications Services (priority 1) cont.
• VoicemailVoicemail
• Wireless transmission service for 2-way Wireless transmission service for 2-way communications (e.g. wireless connection communications (e.g. wireless connection from your high school to the elementary)from your high school to the elementary)
• CentrexCentrex
• Android/Blackberry/i-phone data serviceAndroid/Blackberry/i-phone data service
Eligible Services: Telecommunications (priority 1):
NEW CATEGORY in 2011
Leased fiber or dark fiber (i.e. fiber is then “lit” by the provider or is “lit” by the applicant)
Apply for this on form 470 under 2 categories: telecommunications services and Internet
Eligible Services: Internet Access (priority 1)
Eligible Services: Internet Access (priority 1)
• Internet Access Services
• Web hosting service
• Android/Blackberry/i-phone data service
Eligible Services: Internal Connections (priority 2)
Eligible Services: Internal Connections (priority 2)
– Telecommunications wiring inside buildings (e.g. CAT-5, CAT-6, fiber)
– Routers– Switches– Hubs– Network servers– System operating software– Wireless LANs– Private branch exchange (PBX)
Eligible Services: Maintenance of internal connections (priority 2)
• Maintenance of previously purchased internal connections (does NOT include end-user equipment such as computers)
• Rules changed about SMARTnet-type billing (must bill for actual hours not a service contract amount)
Where can we see the eligible services list?
Answer: Eligible services list for 2011 is at http://www.usac.org/_res/documents/sl/pdf/ESL_archive/EligibleServicesList_110910.pdf
2012 list is in draft form and should be finalized soon
Discounts come in 2 forms:
–Discounts on bills OR–Reimbursements from service
provider (service provider gets reimbursed by USAC)
How Discounts Work
$100 (existing) bills you would pay You apply to for discounts
You get 55% in discounts
You now only owe $45
The vendor’s bill drops by $55
Vendor gets $55
from SLD!
Vendor invoices USAC/USAC approves
invoice
How Discounts/SPIs Work
How Reimbursements Work
10/9/2007 CDE/VET/E-rate/CTF 2000-2001 (BEGINNER)
$100 (existing) bills you would pay You apply to for discounts
You get 55% in discounts
You apply for reimbursement
You pay 100% of bill
Vendor sends
you $55!
USAC approves paperwork/sends check to
vendor
How Reimbursements/BEARs Work
General rules of e-rate
• Competitive bid posted on USAC web site for 28 days
• Price must be the single most important factor
• Your district/school/library must create a bid evaluation matrix to determine “winning” bid(s). For a sample, see http://www.usac.org/_res/documents/sl/pdf/2007_training/samples-checklist-vendor-selection-templates.pdf
General rules of e-rate
• Application in ‘window’ to SLD each year• If applying for both priority 1 and priority 2
services, put priority 1 and priority 2 on separate application forms (i.e. do not put priority 2 requests on the same application as priority 1)
• SLD funds on rules of priority– Priority 1: Telecom services, Telecom, and Internet
Access– Priority 2: Internal Connections and Maintenance
“2 in 5 Rule”
• Applies only to internal connections (priority 2)
• An applicant can only get internal connections funding in 2 out of 5 years
• Questions about this? Give me a call.
What about the tech plan?
• Tech plans are only needed if filing for priority 2 services. THIS IS NEW! (previously everyone had to do tech plans, even for priority 1 services).
• We are now advising everyone to do a priority 2 tech plan.
• For schools and districts, your tech plan will be effective for three years (2012-2014).
Priority 2 (P2) funding
• Should our district/school/library apply for P2 funding? – Yes! While highly unusual, the FCC granted all P2
requests for funding year 2010.– If you are a district, we urge you to file for P2 by
individual building.
• Does that mean we’ll be funded for P2 in 2012 and beyond?– The FCC stated that there’s no assurance of P2
funding in future years.
Tip 1: Get organized by funding year
Create a notebook and/or electronic file– Form 470– Form 471– Form 486– BEAR (if used)
Tip 3: Get support!
• Have a backup person in your school/district/library
• Build support with your business office, supt./director and tech person
• Contact your AEA or library e-rate expert
Now You Know the Rules….Let’s Walk Through the
Application Process
Application Process at a Glance:
1. Form 470: May file any time but usually is filed no later than end of November
2. Wait 28 days! Must wait that long!
3. Form 471: “window” will likely open in January likely close in March (dates not yet set)
4. Wait for questions from PIA
5. Funding commitment decision letter (comes in the mail)
6. Form 486: file to confirm services
7. If getting reimbursements, form 472 (BEAR)
Form 471
Form 471: “window” will likely open in January and close in March
Next steps
Wait for questions from PIA, e.g. Questions about your funding request Verification of your discount
Funding commitment decision letter File form 486
Reimbursements?
• Form 472(BEAR form)
• Available in online format if you have a PIN
• Service provider must OK this form (they have access to the online BEAR form with their own PIN)
Upcoming sessions
October/November (dates TBD): Filing form 470
December/January (dates TBD): Filing form 471
Watch AEAUSF listserv for details!
Resources to Remember
• SLD web site: www.universalservice.org/sl/• E-rate Central: www.e-ratecentral.com• Iowa E-rate:
www.iptv.org/iowa_database/erate
• SLD Client Service Bureau: 888-203-8100• [email protected]: 515-975-0071• [email protected] 515-281-4499