Bulletins

The Federal Communications Commission (“FCC” or “Commission”) has received notice of the January 5, 2005 conviction of Inter-Tel Technologies, Inc. (“Inter-Tel”) for mail fraud and aiding and abetting in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1341 and 2, and for conspiracy to suppress and eliminate competition in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1.

If you're one of the thousands of eRate applicants still waiting to hear about your 2004 funding requests, eRate consultants have some important advice: Reapply now for discounts on these same products and services to cover all your bases before the 2005 deadline passes.

The FCC released an important appeal decision today in which it overruled a procedure that the SLD has been using for more than two years whereby it would treat "unsubstantiated" funding requests the same as "ineligible requests" when applying the "30% Rule."

Wave 11 for Funding Year 2004 will be issued on Tuesday, January 11, 2005. This wave will include funding for approved Internal Connections requests down to the 81% discount level.

As President George W. Bush prepares to be inaugurated for a second term later this month, school leaders are wondering what a second Bush term will mean for educational technology.

In this Public Notice, the Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) announces that the proposed universal service contribution factor for the first quarter of 2005 is .107 or 10.7 percent.

E-Rate Settlement and Plea Agreement. As identified in the Company’s previous filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Divisions of the United States Department of Justice have been investigating other companies’ and Inter-Tel’s participation in a federally funded “e-Rate program” to connect schools and libraries to the Internet.

TEMPE, Ariz., Dec. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Inter-Tel, Incorporated today announced that Inter-Tel Technologies, Inc., the Company's wholly-owned subsidiary ("Inter-Tel"), has reached a settlement and is entering into a plea agreement resolving the previously disclosed e-Rate investigation by the Department of Justice.

Washington, D.C. – The federal program that helps provide Internet access to the nation’s schools and libraries has approved $24.2 million in new funding for projects and services.

WASHINGTON - The program that helps link schools and libraries to the Internet has resumed spending after a cash-flow crunch that delayed more than $400 million in projects.

Commissioner Copps Statement

(WASHINGTON) American Library Association President Carol Brey-Casiano released the following statement, which calls on Congress to pass remedial language to resolve E-rate accounting-requirement issues as soon as Congress convenes on November 16, 2004.

TUNUNAK, Alaska — When the plump seals, walruses and occasional beluga whale arrive in the frigid waters off this Bering Sea village, many plastic chairs in the Paul T. Albert Memorial School sit empty. But on a recent morning, with the big hunt still months away, five Yupik Eskimos were learning geometry.

The Schools and Libraries Committee of the USAC Board of Directors has approved a 66-day filing window for Funding Year 2005 (July 1, 2005 through June 30, 2006). The window will open at noon (EST) on Tuesday, December 14, 2004 and close at 11:59 pm (EST) on Thursday, February 17, 2005.

Two important deadlines are approaching for certain Funding Year 2004 and Funding Year 2003 applicants.

We note that the Commission received several comments and reply comments in response to the initial Public Notice for the Funding Year 2005 Eligible Services List. The Commission has incorporated some of the suggestions provided in the comments, plans to incorporate other suggestions in the Funding Year 2006 Eligible Services List, and will consider comments concerning specific issues, such as dark fiber and voice over Internet protocol, in the active proceeding in CC Docket No. 02-6.

Service providers will be required to pre-register and guarantee payment in advance. The Training Agenda and Presentations for the training sessions will be available in advance of the sessions on the 2004 Service Provider Training page.

SLD is pleased to announce that it will be providing a series of three 2-day live training sessions for service providers.

WASHINGTON, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Money to wire schools and libraries to the Internet and help fund rural health care should resume flowing soon, U.S. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell said on Wednesday, a day after lawmakers attacked the agency for stopping funds.

The SLD held a Train-the-Trainer workshop on September 27–29, 2004, in Arlington, Virginia. The presentations from this workshop have been posted to the "Train-the-Trainer" 2004 Workshop Presentations page in the Reference Area of the SLD web site.