News of the Week

Internal Connections funding is still being provided only for applicants at the 90% discount rate. No Internal Connections funding will be available below 70%. The availability of Internal Connections funding for applicants receiving discounts in the 70-89% range cannot yet be projected, although requests for funding in this range are currently being reviewed by the SLD.

Appeal Deadlines Now Based on Postmark Dates

Technically, the FCC Order only affects deadlines on appeals filed with the FCC, but the SLD rules have been changed as well to coincide with the FCC rules.

When mailing appeals (or any E-rate forms, for that matter) to the SLD or FCC, we strongly recommend that certified or express mail services be used so that the postmark dates can be documented. This avoids future problems if postmark dates prove unreadable or if the material is misrouted or lost.

Appeals can also be submitted electronically up to, and including, the “postmark” deadline dates. FCC appeals can be submitted online via the FCC web site.

SLD appeals can be submitted by facsimile (973-599-6542) or e-mail (appeals@sl.universalservice.org). Formatting requirements are discussed on the SLD web site. In either case, appellants should retain their e-mail or fax confirmations to document the filings.

Tips for Using the Online Form 486

Here are a few technical tips:

(1) Your browser must be Internet Explorer, version 5.0 or higher.

(2) Adobe Acrobat Reader must be installed, version 5.0 or higher.

(3) Generally, use the Tab key, rather than the mouse, to move from field to field.

(4) For additional problems, contact your network administrator. In particular, if operating behind a firewall, it may be necessary to temporarily disable the firewall (either entirely or, at a minimum, port 80 and port 443).

Procedurally, there are several ways to use the online Form 486. If you have registered with the SLD for e-certification, and have received a PIN, the Form 486 can be completed and submitted entirely online. (You can apply for e-certification.) If you don’t have a PIN, the Form 486 can still be filled out online. Once this is done, there are two options: (1) the Form 486 can be printed out, signed, and mailed in its entirety to the SLD; or (2) the Form 486 can be submitted online, in which case the certification and signature pages must still be printed out, signed, and mailed to the SLD. Under either of these options, the Form 486 is not considered to have been submitted until the appropriate pages are mailed to the SLD.

While filling out the Form 486 online, you will experience at least some of the following idiosyncrasies:

(1) When typing into any fields set up with OCR boxes, the typed letters do not initially appear in the individual boxes. Once you’ve tabbed to the next field, however, the letters are magically realigned.

(2) If you have applied for E-rate before, once you enter your Entity Number and press the Tab key, other fields will be pre-populated with previously supplied applicant name, address, and contact information. The system does not allow you to change this information online. To change any pre-populated data, it is necessary to call the SLD’s Client Service Bureau (888-203-8100).

(3) The Tab sequence of fields is not always sequential. After doing pages 1-3, the system automatically jumps to pages 5-6 before returning to page 4. Some users have reported that the system occasionally freezes at this point, but that it can be unlocked using the Control-Alt-Delete keys and clicking “Cancel.”

(4) Each line of Block 3 (page 4) requires entries only in Columns (B), (E), and (F). The system will fill in the other columns. Do not be concerned if the Billing Account Number, column (C), is either blank or, alternatively, does not have enough room for the full number.

(5) If multiple Block 3 pages are used, the extra pages must be printed separately. Using the general “Print” button to print the entire Form 486 includes only the first Block 3 page.

(6) The system provides Save and Retrieve functions so that the form can be completed in stages. Be sure to retain the control number provided on the first “Save” so as to be able to re-access the form if necessary.

Remember, as a last resort, that a blank copy of the Form 486 can be downloaded from the SLD web site, filled out by hand, and mailed to the SLD.

Libraries, needing to fill out Form 486s for FY 2003 Internet Access and Internal Connections funding, should wait until the new version of the from (dated July 2003) is released for use, hopefully later this month.