Introduction
The E-Rate Central News for the Week is prepared by E-Rate Central. E-Rate Central specializes in providing consulting, compliance, and forms processing services to E-rate applicants. To learn more about our services, please contact us by phone (516) 801-7804 or by e-mail. Additional E-rate information is located on the E-Rate Central Web site.
New Online Form 470
| As a result of problems experienced with the SLD’s online Form 470 in PDF format, the SLD is bringing back an updated version of last year’s direct entry Form 470 in ASP format (the same format being used in this year’s direct entry Form 471). The new version of the online Form 470 should be available next week, if not before.
For applicants wishing to see a “form” when entering data online, we expect the new ASP format to be easier to read and use than the PDF version. As an alternative, the Interview mode for doing a Form 470 online remains an option.
Once the ASP version is available, the older PDF version will be removed from the SLD Web site. An applicant who started, but has not yet completed, a Form 470 online in PDF format can retrieve and finish it in Interview mode. The one drawback of the new ASP version is that it will not permit interoperability with the Interview mode.
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| The SLD announced this week that it was “improving the security for the Applicant PIN Request System.” The PIN system is used to facilitate electronic “signing” of forms completed online (so-called “e-certification”). The SLD’s announcement is available on the SLD web site.
There are two important implications of this “improvement.”
(1) Applicants who have been using PINs to certify forms online, and who plan to do so in the future, will have to apply for new PINs (see below). The older PINs were deactivated on November 19th. Please do not wait until your next form is due to re-apply for a new PIN.
(2) Although the SLD did not cite any specific problems that had been experienced with the old PINs, it did indicate that one advantage of the new PIN system was that, henceforth, applicants would be notified by e-mail each time their PINs were used. As a result, if “the security of the PIN has been compromised, the authorized person will know immediately and should…alert the SLD.”
To apply (or re-apply) for a new PIN, the authorized person must have previously submitted either a Form 471 or Form 486 and must be able to cite both the form identification number and the online security number that had been assigned (and hopefully saved). A new PIN can be requested in the PIN Area of the SLD web site. Assuming that all information in the PIN application is correct, new PIN data will be provided to the applicant within an hour.
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| The SLD has instituted a new procedure for submitting questions online. The system replaces a series of individual e-mail address used for questions and attachments (e.g., question@universalservice.org). The system is an alternative to submitting queries to the SLD’s Client Service Bureau by telephone (888-203-8100) or fax (888-276-8736).
The new e-mail portal is accessed through the SLD web site. The system asks the questioner to specify a form or topic (including “Other” at the bottom of the drop-down list). Based on this selection, the inquiry will be directed to the proper SLD group for response. An acknowledgement of the inquiry will be e-mailed back within an hour. If it is a new inquiry, the acknowledgement will include a case number that can be used for follow-up questions.
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| The SLD has released a new (undated) version of the Form 498 which is available on both the SLD and E-Rate Central web sites. The Form 498 is a service provider form used to either obtain a SPIN or update vendor information. The new Form 498 is in PDF format. It can be filled out online, but then must be printed out and mailed to the SLD. It cannot be submitted online. Two points about this form should be noted.
(1) Although vendors are required to file an annual certification Form 473, this filing does not permit a vendor to update its contact information. Such information can be corrected only by filing a revised Form 498. A recent effort by the SLD to contact all vendors by e-mail resulted in a 75% rejection rate, a troubling indicator that much vendor information is out of date. We encourage service providers to take this opportunity to review and update all their contact information.
(2) Before mailing in a Form 498, it is important to note the first paragraph on Page 17 of the Instructions that state: “A letter of certification, written on company letterhead, with a valid signature, must accompany the FCC Form 498. Sample letters are included in Attachments A, B, and C.”
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