April 2004 Announcements

Please click on the topic below to view the most recent announcements:

Pursuant to the FCC’s Second Report and Order (FCC 03-101, released on April 30, 2003), the Schools and Libraries Division (SLD) is instituting a pilot program to create a database of products eligible for funding as Internal Connections. Manufacturers will be able to post their eligible products to the database to assist E-rate applicants in their selection of Internal Connections products.

Manufacturers who wish to have their E-rate eligible products included in the database must meet two basic requirements:

• Enrolling manufacturers must have a Service Provider Identification Number (SPIN). Follow this link for more information about SPINs, including how to obtain a SPIN.
• Enrolling manufacturers must complete a short online enrollment form. Follow this link for more information about manufacturer enrollment in this pilot program.

The SLD is providing early notice of this pilot program so that interested manufacturers who do not already have a SPIN can complete the short process necessary to obtain one.

Additional information about this pilot program will be posted to this web site as it becomes available.

Service Provider Identification Number (SPIN)

Service providers participating in one or more of the support mechanisms of the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) are required to have a Service Provider Identification Number (SPIN).

Manufacturers participating in the SLD’s pilot program to create a database of eligible products must also have a SPIN. If you are a manufacturer who wishes to enroll in this program, and you either do not have a SPIN or the information associated with your SPIN is not current, you must complete FCC Form 498. If you are not sure whether your organization has a SPIN, you may use the SPIN Search Tool to search the SLD SPIN database.

The primary purpose of Form 498 is to collect contact, remittance and payment information for service providers that receive support from the federal universal service support mechanisms. Manufacturers who are requesting a SPIN only for participation in the pilot program do not need to provide any bank remittance information to USAC. Therefore, they may omit lines 102-105 in Block 10 concerning bank remittance information.

Follow this link to the SLD Forms area to access a copy of Form 498 and Instructions.

Manufacturer Enrollment in the Pilot Program for Creating a Database of Eligible Products

Enrollment in the SLD’s pilot program for creating a database of eligible products is based on the Service Provider Identification Number (SPIN) of the manufacturer and the contact information associated with that SPIN. To determine if you have a SPIN or to view the contact information for your company in the SLD database, follow this link to access the SPIN Search Tool.

The manufacturer enrollment process will require specific information for the company name, SPIN, contact person name, and Federal Employer Identification Number; that information must match the information provided in the most recent FCC Form 498 filing. The SLD will then confirm submission with either the general or SLD contact listed in our Form 498 database. This approach is used to ensure the integrity of the enrollment process.

The SLD is providing early notice of this pilot program so that interested manufacturers who do not already have a SPIN can complete the short process necessary to obtain one. The actual enrollment form for the pilot program will be available in the near future.

Following is a list of the documents or pages that have changed on this web site since the last posting on updates:

A new document titled Contract Guidance collects information and guidance on contract issues from various web site documents into one location.

A new document on Transfer of Equipment summarizes the guidance on equipment transfers from the FCC’s Third Report and Order that became effective on March 11, 2004.

A new document on Internal Connections: “Two out of Five Years” Rule summarizes the guidance from the FCC’s Third Report and Order on requesting discounts for Internal Connections beginning in FY2005.

Question 7 from Technology Planning — Frequently Asked Questions and Section IV from Technology Planning have been updated to clarify that the Technology Plan, if required, must be approved by an SLD-certified Technology Plan Approver by the filing of the Form 486 or the start of services, whichever is earlier.

On April 7, 2004, the Schools and Libraries Division (SLD) of the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) reported to the Federal Communications Commission that $4.278 billion in requested funding has been estimated for schools and libraries seeking E-rate discounts for Funding Year 2004. This estimate is based on the dollars requested in 39,785 applications received or postmarked by February 4, 2004, the close of the Form 471 application filing window.

There are several factors that will reduce ultimately the funds requested from the estimated level. First, while efforts have been made to eliminate duplicate requests, inevitably we will discover more duplication as we process these applications. Second, the SLD's efforts to assure that applications are substantially complete and that funds are committed only for eligible services, for use by eligible entities with the appropriate discount rate, and are otherwise consistent with program rules, will further reduce the demand.

For detailed information, please refer to the FY2004 Demand Estimate Letter to FCC [PDF, 72kb] and the FY2004 Demand Estimate Breakdown [PDF, 15kb].