[OPLINLIST] eRate tips from USAC

[Knapp, Mandy]

Hi all,

I thought you might find this guidance from USAC helpful. Please note that during the government shutdown, USAC will remain open for business as usual and all universal service deadlines remain in effect. 

TIP OF THE WEEK: If you have a commitment from USAC for FY2013 and your services have started, you should be preparing to file an FY2013 FCC Form 486. October 29 is the deadline for filing this form if your service start date is July 1, 2013 and your FCDL is dated on or before July 1.

Commitments for Funding Years 2013 and 2012

Funding Year 2013. USAC will release Funding Year (FY) 2013 Wave 22 Funding Commitment Decision Letters (FCDLs) October 16. This wave includes commitments for approved Priority 1 (Telecommunications Services and Internet Access) requests at all discount levels. As of October 11, FY2013 commitments total just under $1.01 billion and encompass 25,682 of FY2013 applications.

Funding Year 2012. USAC will release FY2012 Wave 63 FCDLs October 17. This wave includes commitments for approved Priority 2 (Internal Connections and Basic Maintenance) requests at 90 percent and denials at 89 percent and below. As of October 11, FY2012 commitments total over $2.77 billion.
On the day the FCDLs are mailed, you can check to see if you have a commitment by using USAC's Automated Search of Commitments tool.

Entity Numbers

In general, each separate library building should have an entity number. However, you should refer to the guidance below to determine whether to request an entity number and, if so, how to calculate the discount for that entity. Remember that you must maintain documentation related to (1) your calculation of student eligibility for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and/or (2) your use of an alternative discount mechanism.

Buildings located on the same campus

If several library buildings are located on the same campus - i.e., no public right-of-way crosses between the buildings - and all of the buildings are considered part of that library, you do not need a separate entity number for each building.

Library buildings under construction
A Library building that is under construction can receive discounted services.

. If the building is located on an existing campus, follow the guidance above.

. If the state considers a library building under construction to be an existing entity (for example, a new building to house a library that now occupies a different building), the entity number from the original building carries over to the new building. You should update the contact information for the school or library by following the guidance on the USAC website on Entity Numbers.

. If the state considers the building to be a new library, you should call the Client Service Bureau at 1-888-203-8100 or Submit a Question to request a new entity number for that school or library building.

Here are some tips on calculating discounts for new libraries:

. The discount for a new library is the average discount (not the weighted average discount) for the public school district in which the library is located. To calculate this average discount, divide the total number of students in the school district eligible for NSLP by the total number of students in the school district, and then use that percentage to find the discount in the discount matrix.


Non-instructional facilities
A non-instructional facility (NIF) is a school building without classrooms or a library building without public areas. NIFs are eligible for Priority 1 services (Telecommunications Services, Telecommunications, and Internet Access) but are only eligible for Priority 2 services (Internal Connections and Basic Maintenance) if they are necessary for the transport of discounted services to public areas of a library. Note that an administrative office or wing located in a library is not considered a NIF but rather part of that library building.

Administrative offices that serve multiple locations may be located on the campus of an individual library. However, they are considered NIFs and should have their own entity numbers because they serve more than just the library on whose campus they are located (see above). NIFs can be on property owned by a library, or they may simply be rented space in a building such as a town hall or a commercial building.

. Examples of library NIFs include - but are not limited to - administrative buildings, bookmobile garages, interlibrary loan facilities, and library technology centers. Library NIFs use the average discount for the public school district in which they are located (see above).

 

Mandy Knapp
Library Consultant
274 E. 1st Avenue
Columbus, OH 43201
Tel: 614-466-1710
Toll Free:800-686-1532 (Ohio Only)
Fax: 614-466-3584
library.ohio.gov
      
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