| Halloween is only four weeks away. To avoid making Halloween a really scary time, please note two E-rate deadlines that occur only a few days earlier that apply to many applicants.
October 28 – Applicant BEARs and vendor SPIs for recurring service FRNs are due 120 days after the last day to receive services (i.e., normally, June 30). For FY 2002, this deadline is October 28, 2003. Any invoice postmarked after an invoice deadline will be rejected.
October 29 – The Form 486 deadline for FY 2003 FRNs, approved on or before July 1st (Waves 1-6), and with service start dates of July 1st, is October 29, 2003. Again, this is based on a 120-day rule. If a Form 486 is postmarked after the deadline, the SLD will readjust the service start date to 120 days before the eventual submission date, and, for recurring services, will similarly readjust the annual funding.
Applicants funded after Wave 6 will have later Form 486 deadlines, all based on the 120-day rule. Hint: the easiest way to calculate 120 days from any specific date, is to open an Excel spreadsheet, enter the start date in cell A1, then enter the formula “=A1+120” in cell A2. For example, if cell A1 contains “07/01/2003,” the result in cell A2 will be “10/29/2003.”
|
| The SLD’s online Form 486 preparation and submission system, that had been unavailable since mid-August as the system was being updated for the new August 2003 version, is now up and running. The revised online 486 system has two options: one in which the user types directly into a PDF form, and another which takes the user through an “interview” process. Access to both options is through the Apply Online section of the SLD Web site.
Note that, as with other online SLD systems, once the Billed Entity Number is entered, the system automatically adds any basic applicant name, address, and contact information already in the SLD database. If the applicant’s information has changed, the system will not permit these data fields to be modified. The applicant must contact the Client Service Bureau (888-203-8100) and request that the information be updated.
If, because of an approaching Form 486 filing deadline (see above), the applicant wants to file a Form 486 immediately (and update the SLD’s record later), an alternative is to prepare and file a paper version on the Form 486. A printed version of the Form 486 can be downloaded and filled out by hand. A copy of a blank Form 486, as well as a type-in version of the Form 486, is available in the Forms Rack section of our Web site.
|
| SECA’s E-Rate Central Web site has been completely redesigned and updated. If you haven’t visited the site lately, we encourage you browse. New or improved features include the following:
(1) All site sections and pages can be accessed and bookmarked directly. Section-specific indexes have been added to improve navigation within the site.
(2) The State Information section has been augmented with state-specific funding summaries, E-rate contacts for schools and libraries, and links to important state resources. We suggest that you bookmark your state’s page for easy access to state E-rate resources.
(3) The Forms Rack contains copies of all E-rate forms (including some type-in versions), sample copies of a Letter of Agency and a SPIN Change Request, and a Deadline Calculation Worksheet. Older, but still valid, versions of certain E-rate forms (such as the April 2002 Form 470), which are no longer available on the SLD Web site, are also provided.
|