Schools have until Feb. 12 to apply for their share of $2.25 billion in telecommunications discounts; Eligible Services List unchanged
Primary Topic Channel: eRate
Schools and libraries can begin applying for 2009-10 e-Rate discounts on Tuesday, Dec. 2, and they'll have until 11:59 EST on Thursday, Feb. 12, to submit all necessary Form 471 application materials, says the Schools and Libraries Division (SLD) of the Universal Service Administrative Co., the agency that administers the program.
In recent years, the e-Rate filing window has opened toward the beginning of November. This year's filing window opens later than usual. And while that won't affect the amount of time schools and libraries will have to apply for their share of $2.25 billion in telecommunications discounts, it could affect how long it takes the SLD to process all the applications and issue funding commitment decision letters to applicants.
And that, in turn, could push back notification of more schools and libraries beyond the July 1 start of the new program year, some applicants fear.
Cheryl Stepp, instructional technology supervisor for Florida's Osceola County Schools, noted that e-Rate applications have undergone increased scrutiny in recent years.
"With all the checking and cross checking, [coupled with the delay in the opening of the filing window,] they won't be approving many 471s in time," Stepp predicted of SLD officials. "Thank goodness we apply for reimbursement, and not for the SLD to pay part of our phone bill [directly]. Those are the people who will suffer. If [schools] apply to have the SLD pay a portion of their bill and it is not approved until late July or August, the poor schools … might be paying the whole July bill [by themselves]."
Bonnie Tollefson, director of the Levy County, Fla., public library system, expressed another concern with the late opening of the filing window.
"Because my 471 has to go through the county attorney and the Board of County Commissioners before it can be submitted, and [because] the December holidays are coming up, I won't be able to submit it until late January," she said. "That will push us [farther back] in the approval process, which will mean we'll have to have funds in our budget to handle the bills until the discounts kick in."
SLD spokesman Eric Iverson downplayed the concerns. Despite the delayed start to the application process, "the window will be open for the same time period as it has in the past," Iverson said. He also said there "shouldn't be any material impact on applicants" in terms of how quickly they will start to receive funding.
Peter Kaplan, director of regulatory affairs for e-Rate consulting firm Funds for Learning (FFL), agreed with Iverson's take.
"Schools typically don't wait until the announcement of the window to start their e-Rate procurements," Kaplan said. "If the window closes [in] mid-February, the SLD should be able to process applications in a timely manner. This past spring, FFL released an analysis of the pace of funding, commitments and the SLD [has made] improvements in processing Form 471s each year."
Schools have until Feb. 12 to apply for their share of $2.25 billion in telecommunications discounts; Eligible Services List unchanged
Primary Topic Channel: eRate
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Schools and libraries can begin applying for 2009-10 e-Rate discounts on Tuesday, Dec. 2, and they'll have until 11:59 EST on Thursday, Feb. 12, to submit all necessary Form 471 application materials, says the Schools and Libraries Division (SLD) of the Universal Service Administrative Co., the agency that administers the program.
In recent years, the e-Rate filing window has opened toward the beginning of November. This year's filing window opens later than usual. And while that won't affect the amount of time schools and libraries will have to apply for their share of $2.25 billion in telecommunications discounts, it could affect how long it takes the SLD to process all the applications and issue funding commitment decision letters to applicants.
And that, in turn, could push back notification of more schools and libraries beyond the July 1 start of the new program year, some applicants fear.
Cheryl Stepp, instructional technology supervisor for Florida's Osceola County Schools, noted that e-Rate applications have undergone increased scrutiny in recent years.
"With all the checking and cross checking, [coupled with the delay in the opening of the filing window,] they won't be approving many 471s in time," Stepp predicted of SLD officials. "Thank goodness we apply for reimbursement, and not for the SLD to pay part of our phone bill [directly]. Those are the people who will suffer. If [schools] apply to have the SLD pay a portion of their bill and it is not approved until late July or August, the poor schools … might be paying the whole July bill [by themselves]."
Bonnie Tollefson, director of the Levy County, Fla., public library system, expressed another concern with the late opening of the filing window.
"Because my 471 has to go through the county attorney and the Board of County Commissioners before it can be submitted, and [because] the December holidays are coming up, I won't be able to submit it until late January," she said. "That will push us [farther back] in the approval process, which will mean we'll have to have funds in our budget to handle the bills until the discounts kick in."
SLD spokesman Eric Iverson downplayed the concerns. Despite the delayed start to the application process, "the window will be open for the same time period as it has in the past," Iverson said. He also said there "shouldn't be any material impact on applicants" in terms of how quickly they will start to receive funding.
Peter Kaplan, director of regulatory affairs for e-Rate consulting firm Funds for Learning (FFL), agreed with Iverson's take.
"Schools typically don't wait until the announcement of the window to start their e-Rate procurements," Kaplan said. "If the window closes [in] mid-February, the SLD should be able to process applications in a timely manner. This past spring, FFL released an analysis of the pace of funding, commitments and the SLD [has made] improvements in processing Form 471s each year."