Upcoming 2016 E-Rate Deadlines:
The next Form 486 deadline for FY 2016, for those applicants funded in Wave 3, is Monday, November 7th. More generally, the Form 486 deadline is 120 days from the FCDL date or the service start date (often July 1st), whichever is later. This means that Form 486 deadlines for funding commitments received in later waves will follow at roughly one week intervals, including the following November deadlines:
Wave 4 11/14/2016
Wave 5 11/21/2016
Wave 6 11/28/2016
Two special points should be noted regarding the Form 486 deadline.
- Under current FCC rules, applicants missing the normal Form 486 deadline are given a second chance. Previously, such applicants would be sent Form 486 Urgent Reminder Letters giving them an additional 20 days to submit their Form 486s. “Reminders” will again be used for FY 2016, probably starting later this month, but will be sent via email rather than by regular mail.
Important note: Because USAC will be issuing Form 486 reminders by email, rather than by regular mail, the additional time allowed for submitting late Form 486s is now 15 days, not 20 days. The previous process had allowed 5 extra days for postal delivery.
- Consortium applicants filing Form 486s should remember that CIPA compliance, if required, is acknowledged indirectly by certifying that all consortium members have already submitted Form 479s. The Form 479s, certifying each member’s compliance with CIPA, are paper forms collected by the consortium leaders (i.e., not filed with USAC). This collection process needs to occur before the consortia file their Form 486s. Consortia, if audited, must be able to produce those Form 479s.
Off-Campus Internet Comments:
Initial responses were filed last week to an FCC Public Notice (DA 16-1051) seeking comment on two petitions requesting rule changes, clarifications, or waivers to permit limited off-campus use of E-rate supported Internet access. The goal of both petitions is to help close the “homework gap” — the inability of students, particularly those from low-income families, to access increasingly necessary broadband Internet services outside of their schools.
The two petitions, filed by Boulder Valley School District and a group of other petitioners headed by Microsoft, sought relief from the FCC’s cost-allocation rules otherwise reducing E-rate support for school-based Internet facilities if used at home by selected students.
Responses to the Public Notice may be found using the FCC’s Search for Filings (Docket 02-6). The comments received all recognized the need to address the “homework gap,” but diverged as to the wisdom of using the E-rate program as a vehicle for doing so. In general, the educational community supported the petitions (e.g., ALA, SETDA, CCSESA, NYCDOE, and the Benton Foundation), whereas the carriers argued for the continued reliance on other Universal Service Fund programs (e.g., USTA, NTCA, WISPA, and ITTA).
One of the more balanced responses, filed by the State E-Rate Coordinators’ Alliance (“SECA”), supported the waiver of E-rate cost-allocation rules for trial purposes, discussed the importance (albeit potentially administratively burdensome) to limit off-campus usage to truly “needy” students, and suggested a broader FCC inquiry into these and other approaches to addressing “homework gap” issues.
The reply comment deadline on this proceeding is December 5, 2016.
USAC Rebranding:
First noticed during this fall’s applicant training, the new USAC logo appeared on all of its websites last week. Starting more with style than substance, but with a promise of the latter, the USAC Home page announced “We are giving universal service a new look. This is just the first step in a process to streamline the experience for applicants and providers, and make universal service programs simpler to access.”
The old logo:
The new logo:
One early impact of the change, beside the website updates, may be an increase in USAC’s expenditures for cyan print cartridges.
File Along with Me:
A link to last week’s “File Along with Me” posting is provided below. You can subscribe to the blog by entering your email address on the blog’s home page (under the USAC logo), and confirming the resulting email.
Post No. Title
- Form 498 and the BEAR Method (Part 2): Receive Direct Reimbursement
USAC Fall Training Schedule:
The locations and dates for USAC’s remaining regional trainings are listed below. For registration information, see Trainings & Outreach.
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St. Louis, MO |
Thursday, November 10, 2016 (waiting list only) |
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Seattle, WA |
Wednesday, November 16, 2016 |
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Los Angeles, CA |
Friday, November 18, 2016 (waiting list only) |
Slides for the St. Louis training have been posted on the USAC website.