Funding Status
The first funding wave for FY 2011 is expected later this month following FCC approval of USAC's PIA review procedures. Assuming no significant FCC changes, the SLD expects to fund approximately 18,000 Priority 1 applications in Wave 1.
Wave 49 for FY 2010 will be released on Tuesday, May 3rd, for $8.6 million. This will raise cumulative funding for FY 2010 to $2.48 billion. Priority 2 funding is still being awarded at 81% and above, and denied at 79% and below. The status of Priority 2 funding at 80% is pending an FCC decision.
Wave 85 for FY 2009 will be released today, May 2nd, for $1.5 million. Cumulative funding for FY 2009 stands at $2.79 billion.
E-Rate Updates and Reminders
SLD Service Provider Training:
The SLD is conducting two one-day training sessions geared primarily for service providers in Los Angeles this week and Atlanta next week. Although the training sessions are fully subscribed, applicants and other service providers may want to review the training slides on the SLD Web site. The primary focus will be on:
- The FCC's 6th Report and Order and other FCC guidance
- The FY 2011 Eligible Services List ("ESL")
- Competitive bidding
- General E-rate topics
Individual sessions will include beginner material, the state of the E-rate program, compliance, audits, invoicing, and broadband access.
Incomplete Form 471 Reminders:
USAC mailed out over 21,000 reminder letters last week to applicants who had not yet certified their FY 2011 Form 471s or who may not have submitted their Item 21 attachments. The deadline for replies, if required, to both the "Notification of Form 471 with No Certification" and the "Item 21 Attachment Urgent Reminder Letter" is May 17th. If these certifications are not made or if attachments are not submitted for each FRN by the due date, those applications and/or FRNs will be treated as out-of-window and will not be funded.
Additional information on these reminder letters is included in last week's newsletter and the SLD's News Brief dated April 22.
The SLD's News Brief for April 29, 2011, focuses primarily on eligibility questions asked during PIA review. It separately discusses how PIA will look at:
- Fully eligible products and services (and the documentation that may be requested).
- Conditionally eligible products and services (depending upon usage).
- Partially eligible products and services (with suggestions for cost allocation methods).
- Fully ineligible products and services (and options to modify funding requests).
The News brief also provides some tips for working with PIA on eligibility issues.