[OPLINLIST] Fwd: USAC's Schools and Libraries News Brief for this week

Mon Jan 8 10:37:30 EST 2018

Hello all,

In the email below are some relevant eRate dates. The most important of
these are:

*February 22*          FY2018 *Form 470* Application deadline. (You must
file the Form 470 28 days before filing the 471)

*March 22*               FY 2018 *Form 471* Application deadline.  Window
closes at 11:59 p.m. EDT.

As always, please let me know if you have any questions,
Mandy Knapp
Digital Resources Manager
Ohio Public Library Information Network (OPLIN)
Phone:  614-728-5252
Fax:  614 -728 -5256

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: SL News Brief <NoReply at usac.org>
Date: Fri, Jan 5, 2018 at 5:09 PM
Subject: USAC's Schools and Libraries News Brief for this week
To: mandy at oplin.ohio.gov

*View this message as a web page*
<http://www.icontact-archive.com/TfWiFvrku1_Lm6RfjSlRPr26hzyZkaUq?w=4> -
*Unsubscribe*
<https://app.icontact.com/icp/mmail-mprofile.pl?r=54941870&l=10247&s=P2Z0&m=196125&c=1535322>

[image: header]

*January 5, 2018*

*TIP OF THE WEEK:* *Take note of the important dates and deadlines detailed
below. *For each date or deadline that applies to you, start your planning
now to make sure that you will have time to prepare and submit all required
forms, requests, and any other documentation.

*Commitments for Funding Year 2017*

*Funding Year 2017.* USAC released Funding Year (FY) 2017 Wave 32 Funding
Commitment Decision Letters (FCDLs) on January 4 and will release Wave 33
FCDLs (for some of the hurricane relief applications filed during the
Second FY2017 Application Window) on January 6. USAC is also scheduled to
release Wave 34 FCDLs on January 12. As of January 5, FY2017 commitments
total over $2.03 billion.

On the date that FCDLs are issued, you can access your FCDL notification
from the *Notifications* section of your landing page in the E-rate
Productivity Center (EPC).

*Upcoming Dates and Deadlines*

Please take a moment to review the upcoming dates and deadlines listed
below. For the deadlines in particular, you should be prepared to take
appropriate actions expeditiously to avoid any last-minute issues.

*January 11, 2018 - applicants can complete and certify FCC Form 471 for
FY2018*

The FY2018 application filing window opens on Thursday, January 11 at noon
EST and closes on Thursday, March 22 at 11:59 PM EDT. FCC Forms 471 for
FY2018 certified during the window will be considered as timely filed.

If your FY2018 application process includes certifying an FCC Form 470 and
opening a competitive bidding process, remember that you must wait at least
28 days after your FCC Form 470 is certified before choosing a service
provider, signing a contract (if applicable), and completing and certifying
an FCC Form 471 (see below).

*- NOTE: FCC Forms 471 started before the FY2018 application filing window
opens will not be considered for funding, as they will be characterized as
belonging to earlier funding years.*

   - Earlier this week, we deleted all tasks in EPC related to FCC Forms
   471 from earlier funding years that would have allowed applicants to
   continue working on these forms. This will prevent applicants
   from completing and certifying forms that would not be considered for
   funding for FY2018.
   - If you have recently certified an FCC Form 471, check the form number.
   Form numbers that start with "171-" are FY2017 forms, form numbers that
   start with "161-" are FY2016 forms, and so on. To request funding for
   FY2018, you must certify an FY2018 FCC Form 471 with a form number that
   starts with "181-." To file an FCC Form 471 for FY2018:
   - Wait until the FY2018 application filing window opens.
      - Start a new FCC Form 471. (Verify that the form number starts with
      "181-.")
      - To save time, you can copy the Funding Request Numbers (FRNs) from
      your recently certified form into your FY2018 form using the *Copy
      FRN* function. Be sure to check all of the information in your copied
      FRN(s) for accuracy.

This guidance does not apply to applicants who were eligible to file FY2017
FCC Forms 471 during the Second FY2017 Application Window created for
applicants impacted by hurricanes in 2017. (See the November 9, 2017 SL
News Brief
<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=54941870&msgid=196125&act=P2Z0&c=1535322&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usac.org%2Fsl%2Ftools%2Fnews-briefs%2Fpreview.aspx%3Fid%3D800>
for more information.)

*January 29, 2018 - deadline for requesting an extension to invoice for
FY2016 non-recurring services*

January 29 at 11:59 PM EST is the last day that most applicants and service
providers can request an extension of the deadline to file an invoice for
FY2016 non-recurring services. (The calculated deadline of January 28 falls
on a Sunday, so the deadline is Monday, January 29.)

Both applicants and service providers can request invoice deadline
extensions using the automated invoice deadline extension tool located in
the online BEAR Form. If you use this tool, you will get an immediate
response and, if approved, the new invoice deadline for your FRN appears in
the FRN Extension Table
<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=54941870&msgid=196125&act=P2Z0&c=1535322&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sl.universalservice.org%2Futilities%2FFRN_CurFundExt.asp>
shortly after you receive your response.

To access the automated invoice deadline extension tool:

*APPLICANTS:* Log in to the online BEAR Form
<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=54941870&msgid=196125&act=P2Z0&c=1535322&destination=https%3A%2F%2Fwww2.sl.universalservice.org%2Fbear%2Flogin.aspx>
using your Billed Entity Number (BEN), Personal Identification Number
(PIN), email address, and last name. Then click the *Deadline Extension*
link on the right-hand side of the blue bar at the top of the screen. (You
can request an extension using this method even if your service provider is
the one filing invoices.)

*SERVICE PROVIDERS:* Log in to the E-File System
<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=54941870&msgid=196125&act=P2Z0&c=1535322&destination=https%3A%2F%2Fforms.universalservice.org%2Fportal>
with your username and password. If you have more than one Service Provider
Identification Number (SPIN), choose the one featured on the FRN(s) you
want to extend. Click the *472 Online BEAR* link from the left-hand menu to
go to the service provider view of the online BEAR Form. Then click
the *Deadline
Extension* link on the right-hand side of the blue bar at the top of the
screen. (You can request an extension using this method even if your
customer is the one filing invoices.)

You can also request an invoice deadline extension by using Submit a
Question. Note, however, that these requests are processed manually and can
take 30 days or longer to process.

*January 29, 2018 - deadline for certifying an invoice for FY2016
non-recurring services if you do not have an extension*

January 29 at 11:59 PM EST is the last day that most applicants and service
providers can file an invoice for FY2016 non-recurring services.
(The calculated deadline of January 28 falls on a Sunday, so the deadline
becomes Monday, January 29.)

If you are not certain that you will be able to complete your invoicing
activities by the January 29 deadline, you can request a one-time,
120-day invoice deadline extension as described above.

*February 22, 2018 - deadline for certifying an FCC Form 470 that you
intend to cite on an FY2018 FCC Form 471 funding request*

February 22 at 11:59 PM EST is the last day that you can certify an FCC
Form 470 for FY2018, wait the required 28 days, and still complete the
activities necessary to certify your FCC Form 471 by the close of the
FY2018 application filing window on March 22. For an FCC Form 470 certified
on February 22, you will have to choose a service provider, sign a contract
(for services other than those provided under tariff or on a month-to-month
basis), and certify an FCC Form 471 all on the last day of the window.

We strongly suggest that you plan ahead so that you can complete your
window-related activities well in advance of the last possible day.

*February 26, 2018 - deadline for certifying an invoice for FY2016
recurring services if you have an extension*

If you requested a one-time, 120-day invoice deadline extension for your
FY2016 recurring services, you must certify your invoice(s) for these
services no later than February 26 at 11:59 PM EST. (The calculated
deadline of February 25 falls on a Sunday, so the deadline becomes Monday,
February 26.)

USAC cannot approve a second extension.

*March 22, 2018 - deadline for certifying an FCC Form 471 for FY2018*

To be considered for funding, FY2018 FCC Forms 471 must be certified no
later than Thursday, March 22 at 11:59 PM EDT . Again, we strongly suggest
that you plan to complete your window-related activities well in advance of
this deadline.

*Contact Us!*

If you need assistance, please contact the Client Service Bureau (CSB) at
888-203-8100 <(888)%20203-8100>.

© 1997-2017, Universal Service Administrative Co., All Rights Reserved.
This message was sent to mandy at oplin.ohio.gov from
Universal Service Administrative Co. | 700 12th Street NW, Suite 900
<https://maps.google.com/?q=700+12th+Street+NW,+Suite+900&entry=gmail&source=g>
| Washington, DC 20005
Unsubscribe
<http://app.icontact.com/icp/mmail-mprofile.pl?r=54941870&l=10247&s=P2Z0&m=196125&c=1535322>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.oplin.org/pipermail/oplinlist/attachments/20180108/8c8d0212/attachment.html>